Homecoming Love

“Hayden Jenkins! Breakfast is ready! Come on!” Mom yells from downstairs, her voice reverberating through my room even though I have the windows and the door closed. She’s this kind, tiny little person, but she can be so loud when she wants to be. It’s insane. “I know you’re up! You sister just told me, so hurry up or I won’t save you any pie!”

Geez, the nerve of this woman to threaten me with pie. Ugh!

“Coming in a second, Mom!” I yell back, tossing myself off the bed. I don’t bother changing out of my pajamas, just pull my hair up into a messy bun and rush down the stairs, feeling the delicious smell of dough and coffee hit my nostrils.

“Good morning, sunshine!” Dad greets me as soon as I step into the kitchen. And that’s when I realize it’s crowded.

Ryan, Alice, Chad, Mom, and Dad are all gathered around the table, with all sorts of fruits, cakes, bread, and Mom’s delicious apple pie—which is already being destroyed by Chad—in front of them.

“Is it someone’s birthday today? Why are we having pie for breakfast anyway? Isn’t that for special occasions only?” I ask, a bit grumpy. Did I mention I’m not a morning person?

“Always a delight, Hayden. Calling her sunshine is a bit contradictory, isn’t it, Dad?” Chad teases me while shoving a forkful of pie into his mouth and grinning at me.

“Will you leave some of that for me, or will you eat it all by yourself?” I push him on the shoulder when I pass by him to get to my spot at the table. “Good morning, Alice.” I flash my sister-in-law-to-be a smile, trying to be polite since she doesn’t have to put up with my morning mood.

My family is another story.

“Today is a special occasion, sweetheart. Your brother is getting married, and only God knows when I’ll get the whole family together like this again. It’s a pity your sister won’t be joining us,” Mom explains.

I want to roll my eyes and tell her she’s being overdramatic, because even though Ryan is getting married, I’m positive he won’t stop coming over to eat her food. He already moved out a while ago, and he still shows up pretty much every day. Just like my other two siblings.

“Lauren said you were grumpy this morning, but I didn’t think it’d be this much,” Ryan chimes in, raising his eyebrows at me.

“And I have all of you to thank for that, don’t I?” The words fly out of my mouth before I have the chance to think about it. I wasn’t planning on discussing this with anyone—not even Lauren, but the annoying girl pretty much forced it out of me—but now that I let them in, they won’t let it go.

Ryan’s brows arch even more, and I feel everyone’s eyes on me.

“Are you still upset that I invited him?” Ryan asks cautiously, his brows creasing into a frown. “I thought you were over it. It’s been what… six years?”

“Seven. And I AM over it. You are the ones bringing it up every time and not letting me forget about it.”

Me and my big mouth! I should have let it go, pretended I’m not freaking out.

“Honey, it’s not like your brother could get away with not inviting him. The Baileys have been our friends for years,” Mom tries to meddle in.

I know she has the best of intentions, but I don’t want to hear it. Honestly, I don’t want to have this conversation with any of them.

I appreciate their concern. They saw how broken I was when Spencer and I ended things. I’m really thankful for them being there for me all of those years ago, but now, it’s just weird to talk about this.

“I am fine, okay? I can behave, if that’s what everyone is concerned about,” I tell Ryan and Alice, flashing her another smile when I see her brows creasing in a concerned way. “I won’t ruin your wedding, I promise.”

Alice shakes her head at me, dismissing me with a comforting smile, but I know better than that. Everyone is afraid of me getting drunk and telling Spencer to shove all of his success with his career up his ass.

“You know that’s not what I mean, Hays. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable at my wedding,” Ryan continues.

He’s conflicted, I can tell, but it’s hard to pretend I’m not dying inside either. Even though I’m doing my best to tell them that I’m fine, only I know how the prospect of seeing Spencer again is keeping me awake at night.

“I won’t be. There will be hundreds of people present. I won’t even have to be close to him.” I repeat what Lauren said to me earlier. It is a huge possibility indeed. Seeing Spencer from a distance and having to talk to him are two different things.