The city faded into rolling countryside as Chloe's silver SUV sped along the highway. Leo had fallen asleep in his car seat, his small head lolling to one side, mouth slightly open.
"We're about fifteen minutes away," Chloe announced, glancing at the GPS. "Excited to be home?"
I gazed out at the familiar landscape. "Yes and no. It's complicated."
"When is it not complicated with you?" Chloe laughed.
"Fair point." I smiled, watching the fields of my childhood pass by the window.
As Chloe turned onto the long gravel driveway that led to my parents' farmhouse, butterflies erupted in my stomach. The white two-story house with its wraparound porch came into view, and I spotted my mother's flower garden bursting with color.
"Home sweet home," Chloe said, pulling to a stop.
The front door swung open before I could even unfasten my seatbelt. My mother rushed out, her salt-and-pepper hair pulled back in a loose bun, wearing her favorite floral apron.
