Chapter 38: Chapter 38

Ivy giggled and swatted at him. “You know everyone in this town.”

“True,” Rider sighed. “Whoever it is, I hope they brought pie.”

As he pulled himself up, Ru realized she had a funny feeling in her stomach. It wasn’t the burning, aching sensation she usually got when there was a Reaper present. It was more like butterflies. The sound of a crow calling in the distance made her realize who it was at the door, and she jumped up to follow Rider to the entryway.

It was difficult to see over his shoulder as he pulled the door open, but Ru could tell by the conversation that her instincts were right. “Uh, can I help you?” Rider asked.

“Hi, I’m so sorry to bother you, but a little birdie told me my daughter might be here.”

Rider didn’t get a chance to respond as Ru ducked under his arm. “Dad!” she exclaimed, opening her arms wide. He embraced her and Ru felt like a little girl whose dad had been away on business for a while but promised to bring her a gift when he got back. In her case, the gift was himself. She took a step back and looked at him. He was dressed in blue jeans, a blue button-down shirt, and a navy blue coat. Clean shaven, with his hair trimmed, he looked much happier than the last time she’d seen him, much more composed. “Dad, you look amazing.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Larkin replied. “It is so great to see you.”

“Well, don’t stand outside in the cold, now,” Rider said, gesturing with his free arm as the other still latched on to the door. “Come on in.”

“You don’t mind?” Larkin asked, hesitating on the porch.

Rider only shook his head, and Ru thanked him, squeezing his arm, as he closed the door behind them. By now, the rest of her group had joined them in the living room. “Dad, these are my friends. You just met Rider. And this is Ivy and Lyric. And you remember Cutter.”

“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Larkin said, shaking each of their hands.

“Wow. We had no idea you were even here,” Ivy muttered. “I guess she took all the Reaper out.”

Larkin chuckled, and Ru stared at her friend, a little bit of shock in her eyes that Ivy would be so forward. “I guess she did,” Larkin replied.

“Dad,” Ru said turning to face him. “Look, you need to know that I talked to Raphael, and he said that it would be okay for you and Mom to be together again—after I complete my mission.” It came out in a rush because she wanted to make sure to get it all in before he had a chance to absorb only half of it.

“He did?” Larkin asked, clearly in disbelief. “Raphael said that? When?”

“He did,” Ru nodded, both of her hands on her father’s shoulders. “He was waiting for me at Cutter’s parents’ house the last time you and I met. He said after I close the portal, and take care of another matter, you are free to do whatever you’d like.”

Larkin’s mouth hung open for a moment before he finally managed a response. “I don’t know what to say. I never thought… I never thought Raphael would give his permission.”

“Well, he has,” Ru assured him. “So, believe me, I’m working on it. We were just discussing our plans for Japan. By the time I return,” she swallowed hard, “everything will be taken care of. Then, you and Mom can finally be together.”

Still scratching his head, Larkin finally allowed a smile to creep over his face. “That’s remarkable, Ru.”

She nodded, not sure what else to say on the matter. She had found it surprising as well, but it seemed like Raphael was in a gracious mood. “I really wish you could see Mom before then, though. I mean… he said you couldn’t be together, but that probably doesn’t mean he’d show up all angry if you just spent a little bit of time in the same location, does it?” Ru looked at the faces of her friends, and while all of them looked skeptical, no one was shaking their head in protest.

“Sounds like a decent plan to me,” Rider finally said. “Why don’t you call your mom and see if she wants to come over here for a little while?”

“Rider are you sure?” Ivy asked, her face seeming even whiter than usual. “When Raphael gets mad, he gets really mad. Or so I hear….”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Rider nodded. “A little family reunion ain’t gonna hurt anybody.”

“Rider,” Ru said, turning to face him, “that’s extremely thoughtful of you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. If there’s a problem, you know I’ll take full responsibility.”

He shrugged like she was asking him if she could borrow a pencil in math class. “It’s fine, Ru. But… I think the rest of us should probably head out and give you guys some family time together.”

“That’s a good idea,” Lyric agreed, reaching for her coat. “You guys can come to my house. My parents are at the neighbor’s playing cards.”

“Sounds like we should head to your neighbor’s house then,” Rider teased, pushing his arms through the sleeves of his brown leather jacket. He handed Ivy her coat and the three of them headed out the door.

Cutter’s eyes followed them to the door, and he looked confused, lost maybe. Stepping up next to him, Ru put her hand on his arm. “You’ll stay, won’t you?”

“Do you want me to?” he asked. The question in his eyes was deeper than the one he had voiced, and it melted Ru’s heart.

“Of course I want you to,” she replied, a reassuring smile on her face. “You’re just as much my family as anyone else in the world.”

A crooked grin broke out over his face. “Then I’ll stay.”

“See you in a bit,” Rider called as the three of them stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind him.

Ru waved at them through the little window next to the door and then turned to face her father. “I’ll call Mom,” she said, and he nodded.

Cutter offered her dad a seat, and Ru pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, stepping back into the dining room to make the phone call. Her stomach was flip-flopping as she selected her mom’s name from her list of recent calls.

Maggie answered on the second ring. “Hi, honey! How are you? Still at Rider’s?”

The fact that her mother answered the phone so differently than Liddy Brown made Ru feel all warm inside, but she quickly got her mind focused back on the task at hand. “Hi, Mom. Yes, I’m still at Rider’s. But, listen, something’s come up.” She wasn’t sure exactly what to say, so she decided to just get it out. “Mom, Dad’s here. At Rider’s. He wants to see you.”

There was a long pause, and Ru considered looking at her phone to see if they’d been disconnected when her mother’s shaky voice finally broke through. “Larkin… is there? At Rider’s house? Right now?”

“Yes, Mom.” Ru gave her a few more seconds before she added, “I know what Raphael said about the two of you being together, but I don’t think he’ll get too mad if you just have a quick visit. Do you?”

“Uh, I don’t know, honey,” her mother admitted, and Ru could tell she was crying even if she was trying to hide it. “But… I think I’m willing to take that chance. As long as you are. I mean, I don’t want to get you into any trouble, honey. Or Rider.”

“No, Mom, Rider, Lyric, and Ivy left. Rider said he was fine with it. I don’t think we’ll get into any trouble if it’s a quick visit. I know that’s probably not what you want after twenty-some-odd years of not seeing each other, but I thought it might be better than nothing.”

Once again, the silence was overwhelming. Eventually, her mother said, “I’ll get my coat.”