Chapter 109

A few minutes later, we pulled into a long driveway, hidden in the woods.
"Man, Greer! You weren't talking about secluded!" I teased. "What? Did the 'ultimate party girl' finally decide to go off the grid?"
She laughed. "I'm afraid my 'ultimate party girl' days are over." Then she looked over at me, smiling. "And I'm happy for it."
I returned the smile. Straight ahead a three-story wooden house with big plate glass windows across the front in all levels came into view. "Oh my goodness, Greer! This is gorgeous!"
She smiled proudly as she pulled up in front of the house. "Leave the bags and come here," she said. "I want to show you something."
She scooped Jasmine up into her arms, and I took Gray by the hand and followed. She walked to the back of the house, actually the front, and it was facing a secluded river. I realized that we had pulled up to the back of the house.
"This is beautiful!" I said, my eyes wide as I took in the scenery. "Where did you ever find it?"
She smiled as she looked around appreciatively, adjusting Jasmine on her hip. "We have a good realtor. As soon as I saw this place, I knew we were home."
I felt Gray shivering beside me. "Here, little man," I said as I scooped him into my arms. "Let's get you inside where it's warm."
Greer smiled. "You make a good aunt, you know."
I let out a deep breath as I rubbed Gray's back. "I intend to be a better one."
Greer patted my arm. "You have been great."
"Hey! Look who it is!" Brett said as we walked around the corner of the house to the back door.
"Brett!" I said, hurrying up the stairs. "I didn't know you'd be here!"
"Just got in last night." He walked down a few steps and pulled me in for a hug. "Man, it's good to see you again! It's been too long!"
"Yes; it has," I said as Brett took Gray from me with one arm and pulled me in for a quick hug with the other. "So, are you taking care of my little sister?"
He laughed. "Well, I'm trying to."
I smiled. "From the look of the place, you're taking care of them pretty well."
Greer walked ahead of us and opened the door. "Come on in! Someone's eager to see you!"
"Oh, there she is!" my mother said as she got up from her chair.
I met her halfway across the room and let her pull me in for a hug. "Oh, Mom! It's so good to see you!"
"I've missed you so much!" When she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes. "So, how is everything?"
"Now, wait a minute!" Dad said as he walked into the room. "You have plenty of time to chat! Right now, I want to hug my girl!" He pulled me in for one of his famous bear hugs.
"I missed you, Dad!" The hug was a bit tight, but I didn't mind at all. Going to see my family was the best medicine I'd had in a while.
"I'm glad you're home!"
"Dad, this isn't where we grew up," Greer said, setting Jasmine on the floor. She scampered off to her room.
"Hey! Anywhere we're all together is home," Dad corrected.
"True," I agreed as I gave him another hug.
"I'll get your bags," Brett said, and hurried out the door before I could object.
"Let me show you to your room and you can freshen up," Greer said, already pulling me up the stairs. "Come back down when you're ready. We have plenty of time to catch up then."
At the top, I smiled as I followed her down the hallway and to a beautifully kept room. The walls were painted white and bright from the natural light that flooded into the room from the windows. I looked out at the snow-covered ground and the trees dotting the landscape. "It's so beautiful, Greer. If I lived here, I'd never leave."
"Then, don't!" she said as she opened the white lace curtains.
At that moment, Brett came walking in the door carrying my suitcase. "Here you go!" He said, setting it down in front of the closet. "Well, I'll leave you ladies to chat."
"Just a minute," Greer said, stopping him. "I'll come down with you." Then, she turned back to me. "Take as long as you like to settle in."
"Thanks, hon," I said, pulling her in for another hug. "It's so good to be here."
She smiled as she let me go, but held my shoulders. "It's good to have you here." She left and pulled the door closed behind her.
After I settled in and freshened up, I walked downstairs. Everyone was in the kitchen.
"There she is!" Dad said when I entered the room. "Here." He indicated the seat beside him. "I saved a seat for you."
"Thanks, Dad," I said as I slid into the chair. It felt so good to be around family again. It had been too long.
"Just in time to eat, as usual," Greer teased. "Brett, will you say the blessing?"
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Be glad to." He bowed his head and closed his eyes as all of us held hands around the table. "Dear Lord, thank you for this meal, for the wonderful company, and for letting Alyssa be here with us again."
"Amen!" everyone said in unison.
"Now, let's eat!" Brett added as everyone laughed.
It was good to see him so different than he had been before. Where he had been a party boy before, he was now a family man. "Well, it's good to see that my sister has tamed you so well, Brett!"
He laughed. "We can still get wild when we want."
"Okay. Way too much info!" I said, laughing.
He laughed. "Greer and the kids are the light of my life," he said as he gently squeezed her hand and then looked over at me. "I'm so glad that you introduced us."
I smiled, remembering back to the summer when Greer went on tour with me. We had so much fun, and Brett and Greer had hit it off right away. I was sure that he was going to use her and then dump her-or vice versa-but once they were together, no one could separate them.
Greer went back home to finish her final year of high school, but Brett came to visit her when he could between tour stops. He proposed to her after she graduated, and they've been together since. I asked her once if she ever regretted not going to college, but she insisted that she didn't miss it at all. After they were married, Greer had offered to go to work, but Brett insisted that she tour with him. They spent the first several years of their marriage on the road, but when Gray came along, they moved back to Brett's hometown of Aspen, Colorado, and they've been there since. And they seemed happier than ever.