"Oh, come on, you are totally Ferris. The attitude. The swagger. The penchant for skipping classes. The hair…"

Dad lifts his finger at Mom and tries to suppress his smile. "Okay...for one...I have never sung on a parade float in the middle of a major metropolitan city…"

"Yet!" Phin laughs, and I start giggling.

We are coming to the end credits of Ferris Buller's Day Off, and Mom and Dad have not stopped talking through the entire movie. Like, I doubt they even saw much of it because I know they were busy looking at each other. And it would have been totally annoying if it wasn't so cute.

After Dad had a quick shower and changed into jeans and another blue waffle shirt, we ate our pizza while we started our New Year's Eve movie night with The Goonies in the screening room. There was some snipping between them about which movies would be appropriate for us, but in the end, Goonies and Ferris Bueller won out mainly because Mom couldn't remember the storylines, so she figured they couldn't be too bad. Mom originally sat in a big chair by herself while we cuddled next to Dad under a blanket on the couch. She came over to join us, near the end of the first movie, sitting on the other side of me, and although she said it was for better access to the snacks on the coffee table, I could see in her eyes that it was because she was feeling left out. Then Dad decided to bring out the champagne early, saying that she was leaving at midnight, and had a lift home, so the grown-ups might as well make it a bit of a party.

Now, Mom sits on the other side of the couch with us between her and Dad, her cheeks pink from the alcohol and her eyes sparkling as they continue to banter, the way they've been doing all through the movie.

"Yes, but you had an expensive car, so that makes you Ferris."

Dad jerks his head back and waves towards the screen. "That was Cameron who had the car! Ferris just bummed lifts from him and forced Cameron to let him drive. We just watched it. How could you have missed that?"

"Oh. Right. I think I was distracted by our conversation and zoned out on the movie. Plus, it's been forever since I saw it…." Mom turns to the screen and frowns while I laugh. "Then I admit I'm wrong. You're Cameron. Clearly."

"I'm the manic depressive rich boy who has issues with his father?" We all go silent for a second, and Dad shrugs. "Okay, well, that's fair."

Mom lets out another high laugh, and I shake my head. I have never seen my Mom drink more than one glass of anything, never mind get drunk . Same with Dad. But here we are, and here they are, clearly feeling very relaxed.

"I'm sorry." Mom cringes. "I think I went on a tangent."

"You did, but it was a funny one." Dad laughs and takes a long sip of his champagne. "I forgot how funny it is when you're drunk."

Mom gasps and clutches her chest, and Phin and I look between Mom and Dad, completely amused by their back and forth.

"I am not drunk! I'm...happy!"

Dad leans slightly over us towards her, squishing me a bit as I'm next to him, and grins.

"Then I'm happy that you're happy. Even if this is the second bottle of expensive champagne I've opened for you this visit."

"You can afford it." Mom smirks at him.

"True. Very true." Dad drags his teeth over his bottom lip like he's going to say something else but stops himself, choosing to take another sip of champagne instead.

"Tell us another story from when you were an investigator," Phin jumps into the conversation, obviously enjoying the fact that Mom has been having a case of loose lips. "Especially if it involves Dad."

Mom looks between us, her eyes widening with giddy excitement. So far, she's told us a story about a dog-napping (no Dad) and a Christmas poker game (with Dad), and it's quite obvious we enjoy the ones with him in them.

"Okay. This one is from before your Dad and I were dating…"

Dad drops his head against the back of the couch and groans to the ceiling. "Oh, no. Which one?"

"So I was dating this boy named Troy…" Mom starts, and Dad groans louder like he's in agony, and we all laugh at him. "...Ignore him…" Mom waves her hand and continues. "Anyway, Troy calls me and says that he's stranded at a truck stop just across the Tijuana border. Someone stole his father's car. Can I come and pick him and his buddies up? I say, of course, I will, and lo and behold, who is with him but…" She points at Dad. He points at himself, causing her to chuckle. "...your dad. So I end up driving them all back to Neptune with your dad snipping at me and making all these comments the whole way. I just kept throwing them back at him…" Her voice trails off and she bites her lip, lost in thought for a second. "...and when I dropped your dad and their other buddy, Luke, off, your dad got all flirty with me…"

"And you threatened to run me over!" Dad gasps, and I start to laugh.

"Okay, yes, he walked in front of my car, and I revved my engine like I could have run him over, but don't let him fool you because he was smiling and being all cute the whole time." Her eyes narrow at him as she smiles. "Oh, and then I solved the mystery of the stolen car. Troy had set it all up to steal some drugs so he could run off with the secret girlfriend he had on the side. But I fooled him, did the old switcheroo, and that was that. The end."

My mouth drops open in shock and horror, and I look from Mom to Phin to Dad, only to find Dad smirking over at Mom.

"Your Mom has great taste in boyfriends."

Mom snorts and takes another sip of her drink, finishing the glass. "I'm sorry, but do we need to tell the kids about Caitlyn Ford or…"

"Aaaannnd on that note…." Dad leans over and grabs the remote, standing to aim it at the projector behind us, and the screen goes dark, just as Ferris finishes telling us to go home. "We have just enough time to clean up and get ourselves outside for the fireworks."

"Is it that late already?" Mom asks and stands, stretching and yawning.

"Yep. Piz should be here soon to collect on his midnight kiss," Dad states as he looks at his watch. "It's eleven-thirty."

The whole room goes silent, and the smile drops from Mom's face. "Oh, right. Of course."

Ugh. Just the mention of Stosh's name is such a mood killer. Grudgingly, I pick up two mostly-eaten bowls of chips and start to shuffle out of the room. Phin follows with more stuff, and we head down the hall, through the entryway, and into the kitchen in silence. Looking back, I realize that only Phin is following me, and I put the bowls on the counter and gesture for him to come over to me near the windows. He gives me a frown and follows, glancing quickly over his shoulder.

"Look, this is it. Our last chance to get Mom and Dad back together," I whisper, keeping an eye out for them as I talk. "We need to make sure they hug at midnight."

"What? Why?" Phin hisses, glancing back nervously.

"Because, have you seen how Mom reacts when Dad touches her? It's like she's about to faint or burst into flames or something. So we need to distract Stosh and get them to hug..." I hear their voices coming down the hall, and I slap Phin on the shoulder as he cringes at me. "Just follow my lead later, okay?"

"Fine. Whatever," he mutters just as Mom appears around the corner, carrying a bunch of dishes with empty cans of soda piled high in one of the bowls.

Dad follows, carrying the empty bottle of champagne and the glasses, along with a few stray bowls. The merriment seems to have left with the mention of Stosh, and I glance nervously at the clock above the entryway to the kitchen. Mom puts her armload down on the counter and turns to me with a small smile.

"You know, I've been here for hours, and I still have not seen your rooms. Would you mind showing me before the fireworks?"

"Um, mine is sort of a mess right now," Phin stammers, rubbing the back of his neck. "But you can peek inside if you want, from the doorway"

"Why should this house be any different from ours," Mom teases him softly. "Fine. Phin obviously doesn't want me in his boy-cave. How about you, Gracie? Care to show me your room?"

"Yes!"

My heart leaps with excitement. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but I talk about my room all the time to her, and I always feel like I don't do it justice. Now I can show her.

She reaches out her hand, and I come around and take it, grinning like an idiot at her as I do. Dad smiles at me and gives me a wink. "Have fun. Don't spend too long up there, or you'll miss the show."

"We won't!" I say and practically pull Mom out of the kitchen and up the stairs up to my room.

When we get there, I pause at the closed door, and she looks down the hallway. "So, Phin is next door…"

"Yep. And our bathroom is beside his room. Dad's bedroom is the door at the end of the hall, and he has a massive bathroom attached to his room. Honestly, you could have a party in there." I open my door and flip on the lights. "Voila!" I state as I walk into the room, doing a little spin as I enter. "Here's my bed…" I point like she couldn't figure it out. "...and there's my dressing table with all my makeup and my dressers for my clothes…" I point across towards my closet with the other furniture there. "That's my Victorian Dollhouse…" I stride to the massive toy just under my window and pull back the drapes. "And this is my view of the pool. See! The fireworks usually happen in that direction."

Mom comes over and stands next to me, glancing out the window, and I can see her smile in the reflection of the glass.

"Your father's room in the old Echolls mansion had the same view," she says. "I was in it a few times with Lilly, and I would keep watch on the boys by the pool so she could ransack his room for notes from other girls."

"What? Dad cheated on her?"

"Lilly and your dad had a complicated relationship. Let's just leave it at that."

Mom sighs and steps away, walking over to my bed. She sits down and spreads her hands over my duvet, running them back and forth.

"What were you like back then?"

Mom shrugs. "At first, I was really naive and stupid about life. But then Lilly died, and all of it just...changed. My mom left us, and things happened, and everything felt out of control until, well, you guys came along."

"Us?"

"Yes, you. And Phin." She gives a little laugh and shakes her head. "It was so strange, but when you guys were born, it made me so focused. I wanted my career and to be a good mother to you both, and everything that happened before that just seemed to just...fall away somehow. I knew who I was and what I wanted, and nothing was going to stand in my way."

"What about Dad? What was he like?"

Mom's eyelashes flutter, and she sighs, and I catch her looking at her small engagement ring.

"Your Dad was funny and strong and smart and...loving…" She swallows after her words as if they almost hurt to say. "I know he's told you he didn't have the happiest childhood, and it didn't help him when he was a teenager, or us ." She looks up at me with glassy eyes and smiles. "But he loves you both so much. From the moment we found out we were going to have you, he set about reading every baby book he could get his hands on. And when you were born, it was like a part of him just miraculously healed the minute they put you both in his arms."

She blinks back her tears, and my heart feels like it's growing bigger and bigger, just talking to her about this.

"And what about now, Mom?"

"What am I now, or what are your father and I now?"

I shrug and come and sit at the head of the bed, pulling my legs up under me. "Both? All of it?"

She frowns for a second, like she's gathering her words before speaking.

"I thought I knew who I was when I stepped off that plane in Neptune…a successful lawyer...a mother to two amazing children..." she begins, looking down at the floor as she talks, "but now, I don't know. Sometimes, when I come home to California, I still feel inside like I'm that naive girl who had a pink room…" She looks up and around at my room and smiles weakly. "Most of the time, I'm just trying to take each day as it comes, with work, and with you and Phin. That's all I can do right now."

A weird silence comes between us, and I don't quite get what she's saying, but it feels like it makes her sad.

"Can I ask you something else, Mom?"

She reaches towards me, and I scoot closer so I can take her hand. "You can ask me anything, Gracie."

I steady my nerves and gather my courage to ask her the one thing that I just want to know for sure.

"Mom? Are you happy? Like really, truly, happy?"

Her lip quivers a bit, and for a second, I think she might burst into tears, but she pulls herself together and smiles the biggest, warmest smile at me.

"I can honestly say, Gracie, that tonight, I am happier than I have been in quite some time. This Christmas, spending time with you and your brother and Grandpa and…" She pauses and takes a deep breath. "...and your father as well has made all the work and stress of day-to-day life just fall away, even if it's just for a short time."

My heart flutters in my chest. Just hearing her say that spending time with Dad has made her feel good makes me so happy. But then, I start to rewind her words, and I realize she forgot something really, really important. Someone. Someone I need to point out to her.

"Mom, you forgot about…"

"Hey!" Dad says and pokes his head into the doorway. "Sorry to interrupt girl time, but the fireworks are going to start soon. We'd better get downstairs."

"Yes, of course…" Mom jumps up and runs her hands over her sweater. "Can I just pop my head in and see if Phin's room is as much of a disaster here as it is at home?"

Dad gestures down the hall. "Sure. I'll show you. It's probably not as bad as your place because I make him clean a clear line in the toys and clothes to his bed, so if I come and check on him at night, I don't trip and break my neck on something."

Moving beside him, Mom looks up and smiles. "You still check on him?"

"Pft. Of course, I do. I know that the kids are ten years old in here…" Dad pokes his forehead and grins. "But in here…" He pokes at his heart. "They're still our babies."

Nodding, Mom glances back at me and then to Dad. "I know. I'm not sure where the time went."

"Having a child is a poor man's time machine to the future." Dad chuckles, beginning to walk down the hall. "A rich one's too."

Mom laughs as she follows him, and when they are gone, I slip out of my room and downstairs. Phin is getting on his shoes and jacket in the entryway, and I grab mine from the closet and pull it on.

"You know, Stosh isn't here yet," Phin states with a grin. "Mom's going to be mad if he doesn't make it by midnight."

"Wouldn't that be terrible." I kneel and start to tie up my Keds, grinning back at him. "Maybe the universe is on our side too."

"Maybe he did run off with Uncle D." Phin laughs, and I giggle just as Mom and Dad appear at the top of the stairs.

"What's so funny?" Dad asks as they descend, and I shrug.

"Nothing. Come on, or we'll miss the fireworks!"

Phin and I start through the hallway to the pool. At the door, we have to wait until Dad catches up with us, his shoes and jacket in hand, and punches in the code to unlock the French Doors. He said he used to worry that we would somehow get in and drown when he wasn't looking, and he still won't give us the code, even though we're so much older now. As soon as he pulls open the door, we hurry through the room and push open the doors to the outside, cringing as the cool night air hits our faces.

"Is it time?" I ask and look back at Dad and Mom as they're both still getting on their shoes and jackets.

"Almost." Dad laughs. "And here I was, worried that you guys were going to outgrow the fireworks this year."

I spin and face the clear, dark sky, in the direction that they usually start to appear. My heart is pounding in my ears. I'm so excited. At the stroke of midnight, all my dreams may just come true.

Mom and Dad finally join us, and I look back to see Dad looking at his watch. "Almost….," he mutters and raises his finger to hold our excitement.

I glance at Mom, who is standing close to Dad, looking at his watch with the same wide-eyed happiness, and I start to dance on my toes, back and forth, to get rid of some energy before I burst.

"10!" Dad says, and we all start to count down together.

"9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2….1….HAPPY NEW YEAR!" we all yell together, and I launch myself into Dad's arms.

"I love you, Grace," Dad murmurs in my ear and kisses my head. "Happy New Year."

The fireworks start to streak across the sky, and I see the first red and green ones explode in the reflection in the glass of the pool house.

"Happy New Year, Daddy."

Dad hugs me tightly, and I see Phin do the same to Mom next to me. Dad releases me and opens his arms, and we trade, and it feels so good to hug Mom on New Year's Eve while the sound of the fireworks ring in our ears.

"Happy New Year, sweetheart. I love you so much," she says as she rocks me in her arms, kissing the side of my head, and I'm suddenly overwhelmed.

"Happy New Year's, Mom. I love you too."

I step back towards the pool and open my arms, and Phin comes and hugs me. "Happy New Year's, fart-breath."

"Happy New Year's, stink-face," I reply and giggle as he lets go.

I look over at Mom and Dad watching us from a little ways away, and as I open my mouth to speak, Phin steps up and does it for me.

"You guys need to hug too. It's New Year's Eve. It's the law."

Dad turns and opens his arms to her and grins. "I guess one for old times' sake."

"I guess, just one…"

Mom hesitates for a split second before stepping into his arms, and her head presses to his chest, her hands tucking close to his body. His arms wrap around her tightly as he holds her close. As the fireworks go off above us, they stay locked together. Mom begins to move a bit...not like she's trying to get away, but like she's making herself more comfortable in his arms. She looks up at Dad, just as he lowers his head, and in an instant, she rises, and I think she's going to kiss him on the cheek, and instead, she brushes her lips against his. A shocked look spreads across Dad's face as he looks down at Mom, then his hand raises to gently cup her cheek, and it's like Mom is caught in some sort of trance, looking deeply into Dad's eyes.

And my heart just stops.

That's when he kisses her again, fully and completely, with purpose, filled with love and affection. And she responds by cradling his cheeks, too, so he doesn't move as they continue to kiss.

I know I should look away, but I can't. The sight of my parents kissing as if they fell straight out of a romance novel is just too amazing to ignore. And I can feel it warm me all through my body —the love they share is just surrounding us now—and I never want this feeling to stop.

Has this been going on for seconds or minutes or hours? My brain is stuck. I just don't know, but when they both finally let go of each other, Mom staggers back a bit from Dad, wiping her lips with her fingers as if in a state of shock at what's happened even though she was clearly involved with it.

I look at Phin, and he's frozen to his spot, looking at Mom and Dad, and the fireworks are still going off, and everything just feels so crazy right now as my brain begins functioning again because OH MY GOD, MY PARENTS JUST KISSED, LIKE REAL KISSED, FOR REAL!

"Hey! There you guys are!"

NOOOOOOOOOO!

Ohhhh…..nooooooo! Not him! Not now!

We all spin to see Stosh coming from around the front of the house, and now I can't breathe because WHAT THE HELL?

Stosh walks past Dad and slaps him on the shoulder as he heads to Mom, who is still looking completely zombie-like after that kiss from Dad, and Stosh gives her a big hug as she grasps for words.

"You made it," she mutters.

And as she's about to say more, Stosh pulls her into a big old gross wet kiss. Her eyes go wide with horror as he kisses her, and I look over at Dad, who is in as much shock as we are, and silently pray that he uses some of that punching he talked about before, but on Stosh.

Stosh releases Mom, and I want to puke. Right there. I can taste the pizza again in my mouth. That was the most disgusting thing I will ever witness, EVER!

"Happy New Year, Veronica," Stosh says and then turns to us, putting his arm around Mom's shoulders. "Happy New Year, all!"

Dad finally snaps out of it and gives his head a shake. "Happy New Year, Piz. We had almost given up on you."

"Yeah, well, I had trouble getting through traffic on the beach and then the gate, and I rang the doorbell, but you guys probably didn't hear it…" He looks at Mom and smiles. "But I realized you guys must have been back here, so I just walked around. Glad I could get here in time!"

The fireworks end, and there's nothing but the awkward silence between us all. Now, I focus on Mom. I hope she can read my mind because I would really like it if she could dump Piz right now, and we can all live happily ever after. She opens her mouth, and I hold my breath, hoping the words come out.

"We should go. It's getting late, and the kids need to go to bed."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! That's not what I wanted her to say at all!

"Oh, well then, we'll go." Stosh nods at her and looks at all of us, gawking back at them.

"I need to grab my purse," she says. "Let's go through the house."

And just like that, I see her lead Stosh to the pool room door, past Dad, away from us, and my mouth drops open in shock. I start to follow, and Dad quickly steps up to me, placing his hand on my shoulder and looking down at me with those eyes that just stop me dead.

"Don't," he whispers. "Not now."

Mom pauses at the door and gives us a small wave. "Good night, everyone. Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year," Phin mutters, and Stosh frowns at him before stepping into the pool room.

I watch through the glass as they move through the darkness, their silhouettes disappearing into the hallway through the open French doors. And that's when I look back up at Dad to see the anguish in his eyes.

"What the heck was that?" I hiss, gesturing towards the house.

Dad bites his lips for a second and shakes his head. "That was your mother, doing what she does best: running away from her feelings."

"But...she can't!" Phin gasps, coming over to us. "She can't kiss you like that and just leave!"

Dad smirks and shakes his head. "Wanna bet? She has in the past, why should this time be any different?"

"But she's coming back, right?" Phin grabs Dad's arm in desperation. "She kissed you, which means she still loves you, and she'll be back to clear all this up, won't she, Dad?"

In one quick scoop, Dad sweeps us into his arms, kissing the top of our heads as we press against his chest.

"I don't know. All I know is that she's right, and you both need to go to bed right now."

"What?!" I wiggle from his arms and step back, the anger now pushing aside any love I may have had. "That's not fair! She loves you, not him! We saw it! We know!"

"Gracie, please, we can't do this right now…"

Dad looks like he's in pain. Deep, physical pain. And it's all thanks to Mom. I want to kick something. Throw something. My anger at Mom is so strong and overpowering I just need to let it out.

"Fine! Then we won't be a family again!" I scream and start towards the door. "I hate her! I hate her so much."

"Gracie!"

I hear Dad call for me, but I ignore it, breaking out into a run as I scramble through the pool room and on through to my room.

When I get there, I slam the door and pull off one of my shoes, throwing it at my closet. It lands with a crash, and the sound feels good that I do it with the other one too. Then I rip off my jacket and toss that across the room before I dive into bed, the sound of my breathing filling my ears.

And that's when I finally start to cry. I cry, and I cry to get out the rest of the anger and pain. Until eventually, I fall asleep.