"All right, that box goes in my craft room," Erin said as she took a look at what Karen was holding out to her. Her daughter nodded before leaving the kitchen and heading further into the house. Erin smiled after her as she let out a long breath. It was hard to believe that this day was finally here, and she hoped that she had truly made the right decision to purchase a home so close to Alex and James. Both had said that it was all right, but she didn't want to be one of those clingy women who needed the support of her friends to make certain that she was going to be all right.
"I think that there are just a few more boxes to bring in, Erin. How is lunch coming?"
"I'm almost finished," she replied as she stirred the pot of sloppy joe mix on the stove. "Alex? Do you want to set the dining room table?"
"With what? Everything is still in boxes."
Erin turned to look at her friend, giving her a withering look. "That is why I purchased paper plates and bamboo utensils. They're already on the dining room table." Alex rolled her eyes as she came over to her side and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. "Hey, none of that now."
"It irritates you, which is why I do it. James thinks it's hilarious."
"I think what's hilarious?"
Erin expelled a rough huff of breath as she turned the fire off under the pot of food before facing them both. "That she thinks she's cute enough to get away with just getting into my personal space and kissing my face without a by your leave, knowing that it discombobulates me so. Your wife might be my best friend, but I still would like a little bit of personal boundaries."
"Ah, I don't need to be a profiler to know that if you really wanted her to stop, you'd tell her to. A part of me thinks that you like both the physical displays of affection and grousing about it. Am I somewhere in the ballpark?"
Another huff of breath left her nose as she nodded. "I should hate that you both know me so well, but after what I've endured, I suppose that I am more grateful than annoyed. But you might want to go into the dining room with your wife and show her the tableware."
He nodded, giving her a small wink as the rest of her children bounded into the house with more craft room boxes. Penelope brought up the rear, bringing in a small kitchen box and setting it on the counter. "I think that this is the last kitchen box that I saw in the truck. Do you want me to start putting things away or bring other boxes in?"
"It's almost time to eat, so if you want to start taking things out of that box, you can. I'll finish up with the food."
Penelope gave her a small smile as she opened the box and began to take out what was inside. "Ooh, this is your magnet collection! I might have a few to add to these, but only if I get another invitation to come over."
"You're my friend, Penelope, there will always be an open invitation for you and Lexie." The smile on Penelope's lips grew as she started to haphazardly place the magnets on the refrigerator, and Erin tried not to wince, since she usually had an order to those decorations. Still, perhaps it would be nice to have a new order, since this was her new start.
"All right, what else do you need before we eat?" Alex asked as she came back into the kitchen.
"If you want to take the potato salad out of the fridge and set it on the table, Penelope can bring in the pickles and cheese. I'll be in shortly with the rest." She smiled a little as the women followed her directions, and then she was alone once more in the kitchen. Her kitchen. Though there was so much new about it, there were still those familiar elements that told her this was home.
"Hey, did you forget the chips, Mama?" She glanced up at Tabitha as she poured the sloppy joe mix into a serving bowl that she had unpacked first thing, along with the equipment necessary to make lunch for them.
"I think I did. Check in the fridge, I might have put it all together, so I wouldn't forget anything."
Tabitha nodded before hugging her quickly and then opening the fridge door, pulling out the two bags of chips before hurrying out of the kitchen. Erin sighed happily as she slipped a serving spoon into the dish and then picking it and the buns up so that she could finally join the others in the dining room. The last open chair was between Alex and Penelope, and she smirked a little as she took her place. "Are we going to say grace, Mom?" Bruce asked and she nodded. "Good, because I want to lead it." Erin blinked back tears as she held out her hands to Penelope and Alex. "Dear Lord, thank you for bringing us all together today, and leading Mom to the perfect place for a new home, so close to her best friend. Two years ago, I wouldn't have thought this a possibility, but then a sweater that I had wanted for so long showed up on our doorstep for Christmas, and I had hope again. The winds and the waves know the truth, sometimes we just can't see that truth for ourselves. Thank You for bringing us together, and for keeping Mom safe during her ordeal. Thank You for working it so that John would take a plea bargain as well, and for the judge putting them away for the rest of their lives. Now bless this food to our bodies and may the rest of the work that we have to do today be quick and light. Amen."
"Amen," Erin choked out, squeezing her friends' hands before letting go and starting to pass around the food. The noise of conversation that rose up around her filled Erin's heart with an overwhelming sense of love. "So, how long do I have you all for today?"
"Today? I thought we all agreed to spend the night, and help out again after church tomorrow. I know that James and Lexi are planning to come back over at noon with food for us all." Karen grimaced a little as she swiped away a few stray tears. "Though it would be nice if we could all spend the night and go to church together. To celebrate Mama's new start and all."
"I suppose that we might persuaded to stay, if we can have space on one of the beds."
"Karen and I can double up for one night so that you can have one of our beds. And I know that Penelope is taking the sofa, so we all have somewhere to bunk down." Tabitha gave Erin a small wink before barreling on. "Or, we could all end up in Mama's room, well, us girls anyway. James and Bruce can end up where they like. I mean, this is the perfect night for a true sleepover."
Erin chuckled as she glanced at Alex, seeing that she was also smirking a little. "We'll have to see what happens as the night goes on. But I am still so glad that you're all here, helping me rebuild what was lost, and finding a way to move forward once more. I love each and every one of you present, and I don't think I would be this strong without you." Before she could start crying, Erin took a deep breath and began to eat, somehow knowing that this was truly the start of her new life, able to stand on her own two feet with the support of her family and friends. Despite everything she had lost, it had been worth it to learn her own worth and know her own strength. And with them by her side, she knew that she would only continue to move on from here, into a much brighter future.
