As I anticipated coming home and being in the house James had spoiled me with in Clinton, MS, what I had imagined was nothing as nice as this. My whole place was decorated with 'Welcome Home' signs, streamers and balloons. This has always been a speciality of his, the decorating. "Josh, thank you," I say, amazed at the sight of it.
"The Basses and my family set it up, I just had to make sure you and I got here safe," he tells me.
I'm just so shocked and can't keep my eyes off all the thought that had been put into this. James, his family and Josh's family had done this just for me. I don't have a clue on what to say.
Once I had gotten over the shock a few hours later, we decided to drive over to James' parents' house. Josh immediately recognizes the outside of the house. "Memories?" he asks me.
"Yeah, lots of 'em." We get out of the Camero and walk onto the porch, my arm looped into his. I open the screen door and raise my hand to the inner one, ready to knock. "Here I go," I say under my breath, heartily rapping on the door in a rhythm that flows through my hand naturally.
I hear his dad's footfalls and I start to play with the hem of my purple shirt. The door flies open and I'm quickly pulled into a hug. "I've waited years to hear that knock," he softly admits to me. He steps back and really looks at me, smiling. "You look happier and healthier."
"I am," I tell him.
"James says you're dating someone close to him, somebody he trusts."
Josh grabs my hand and I look at his smiling face, silently encouraging me to tell Jim. "It's the truth. I'm seeing Josh," I confirm, pulling him closer behind me and his hands rest on my hips.
Jim immediately pulls Josh and I into a hug sandwich, which I've missed in the past few years. "I'm so happy to hear that!" he shouts excitedly.
"Dad! Let them breathe! They just got into town!" I hear James remind his dad, pulling me from the middle of the hug.
"Hi, James," I greet, hugging him and placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.
"Hey, man," Josh says, clapping his hand to James' shoulder.
"You made sure she came. Thanks. Stacy! Ford! Mom!"
"What now, James?" Stacy calls out, her sneakers quickly slapping the floor as she approaches the door and her eyes focused on her cell phone.
"After this long and you can't even put that danged device down to give me a proper welcoming?" I tease her.
Her head snaps up and she runs the few feet to envelope me in her arms, softly sobbing. She pulls away, her hands gently holding my upper arms and looks at me. "You've been through absolute hell, huh?" she states, her thumb running along the scar on my right cheekbone.
"Yes, up until a few months ago," I tell her, nodding toward Josh.
She looks up, smiling. "Thank you for helping her."
"She needed me and I told her a few before that if she did need me, she should call," Josh informs three of five members of the Bass brood.
"That's good. Ford, c'mere!"
"Wh-," he begins to say, looking at me stops him from finishing what he had on his mind. "Thank goodness you're ok!" he says, hugging me. They are a very huggy family.
"Nick and I are done."
"She's with James' friend, Josh, here," she confirms, thumbing in his direction.
Josh's hand stretches out as he greets Ford, "Hey, Ford! How's it been down here in the quiet country?"
"Good. You remember Mason, right?"
"Yeah, the little guy you had a few years ago."
"He's not so little anymore. We have exciting news, but we won't share until Christmas day."
Just then, a little boy who reminds me alot of James comes out from the living room and tugs on Ford's shirt hem. "Daddy, is this the girl uncle was talking about?"
"Yes, this is Leilei. You remember Josh?" he responds, kneeling to be at the boy's level.
The boy has the most beautiful hazel-blue eyes as he looks at Josh and smiles. "Hi, Josh. It's been forever! What have you been doing?" he demands, hugging Josh's waist.
"I've been helping Leilei get better for the past few months and the normal music and tv biz stuff," he says, rubbing the boy's back. I look at the boy and then Josh, his head shaking to disprove my thought. "Leilei, this is Mason."
I drop to my knees in front of Mason and put my hand out for him to shake. He pushes it aside and hugs me. "If mommy, daddy, grammy, grampy and uncle trust you and love you, so can I," he explains.
"How old are you?" I have memories of holding a baby boy last time I was home.
"Just turned seven last week," he informs me, his arms still around my neck.
"Seven years and I still have this photo in my wallet," I tell him in hushed whisper, pulling out my wallet to show him.
"We have the same one!" he exclaims, pulling me into the living room and pointing to a larger copy of it on the wall beside the door way. "See?"
"We have another copy at our house," Stacy tells me.
~~~~~
It's been 7 long years, but we just fell right back into our traditions and routines. "So they've been together for almost five or six months now, but together about a month officially," James informs his family.
"How long has it been since the last incident with…?" Aunt Diane asks.
"Somewhere near six months," I confirm. "I'm still not 100%, the stitches on my hip and my lung are still healing." Josh and I snuggle on the couch, kiddie cornered on the edge by the arm.
"So, Josh hasn't left your side since he came get you out of there?" Jim wonders aloud.
"Not once, not without feeling guilty," I say, a teasing smile appearing on my lips.
I see James get up to answer the door, calling for us after. Josh and I get up after excusing ourselves and to find out what James wanted, whispering between ourselves over the possibilities. "Leilei! Josh! Thank goodness you got here safe!" Karen announces, kissing our foreheads and hugging us.
"Mom, you're blowing it out of proportion again," Tyler states, rolling his eyes. Once she relinquishes her hold, Tyler, Heather and Roy hug us one after the other and warmly greeting us. "Merry Christmas, MinMin," Tyler tells me, smiling sweetly.
"Merry early Christmas to all of you," I reply, smiling from my heart.
"We've missed you so much and thought you'd forgotten us," Heather tells me, Stacy nodding in agreement.
"Things have changed for the better and now you don't need to worry about it," I assure them.
"She's in very good hands," James informs them.
"I'll make sure to have her keep in touch," Josh tells them.
"Welcome to the craziness of the Chasez family," Tyler quips, getting a guffaw out of me.
"You should meet 'Renny!" I announce, someone else knocking at the door.
"Oh, God! I've missed you!" Darren says loudly, throwing his arms around my shoulders over the side of the couch.
"Darren, it's been a month!" I respond, resting my hands on his forearms and turning my head to kiss his cheek.
"It feels like it's been so much longer!"
"I know, the time apart didn't help."
"Moving onto the better thing now, she's going to be spending more time with us," James tells everyone.
I nod and Josh smiles the cheesiest smile I've seen since the day I- never mind that. "I'll make sure she calls a few times a week at the very least."
Everyone thanks him and James pulls me out to the back porch. "How do you feel now?"
"Better, loved and missed. Who's idea was this?"
"Karen and mom's. Come around the side to the front with me. I have a surprise," he says, dropping his hands over my eyes to cover them.
"Why?"
"Why not?"
"I suppose."
He leads me around to the front of the house, most likely in front of the drive way. "Ok, you can open 'em."
I feel his hands move away from mine and I see two of my cousins, some of my childhood friends, Justin, Chris, Aaron, Leslie, Angel and my sister soul! I bolt over to my sister soul with tears of joy flowing down my cheeks, hugging her.
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