The rest of the week shifted around Alyssa in a hazy blur of coming and going at the gallery. Between the hours she put in there, and the hard pace she maintained at the gym, Alyssa went to sleep at night exhausted but oddly satisfied despite hardly ever spending more than a few minutes at a time with Eva. There was always something getting in between them, something pulling her away.

Contractors.

Meetings.

And then of course, Eva had been sucked into her work—struggling to keep on top of the surging demand for more. The art was selling at a record pace with everything flying out almost as quickly as it came in.

Strange, Alyssa thought, while laying out clothes on her bed. This was the closest they'd physically been to one another in six years yet Alyssa had never felt more distant. Or inaccessible.

But today was Saturday and she'd woken refreshed, with both purpose and excitement because today was Thanksgiving, her nieces were finally coming home and Eva had promised that day was going to be about family. Nothing else. They'd finally have a chance to sit down and really connect. And maybe even talk about the things Alyssa had felt piling up on her chest, weighing her down to the point of near suffocation.

Winding around her legs, Cleo purred loudly, arching her back as she stroked across Alyssa's bare legs. Picking her up, she nuzzled Cleo's soft face and tried to keep her spirits calm.

She'd on a bit of a shopping spree the other day, picking out gifts for her nieces. Would they even like them? The pictures she'd seen scattered about Eva's home tugged on her heart, made it ache to think of the years lost. Years they could never get back. Such precious and important milestones she'd missed, especially with Lucy. The impish little munchkin she'd never had the chance to really get to know.

Lucy had only been barely one at the time and just learning how to walk. Alyssa doubted any of them would even remember her, Hailey included. Six years to a child's memory would make her no better than a complete stranger, and knowing that stung.

Misty-eyed, Alyssa angled her head back and breathed slow, even breaths until the urge to cry had passed. She would not get sucked into the pool of emotional negativity. But maybe she'd hold off on the gift giving, at least for a couple of days until she had time to feel them out in case she needed to make last minute exchanges or returns. Feeling better with that new game plan, kissing Cleo, Alyssa dressed quickly, ran a curling iron through her hair. When finished, she finger combed for a more natural shape then stroked on some blush, mascara and lip-gloss to complete the look.

Pleased with the end results, Alyssa pulled on her leather jacket deciding to enjoy the brisk walk rather than drive. Wearing flat soled leather boots, she followed the steep path winding up and around to the back end of Eva's home. At the top, Alyssa admired the view and imagined that the sight would be breathless in the mornings. She tried to picture her sister out here doing Yoga, tending to the vegetable patch which was now lush with green and purple heads of kale, a hardy vegetable that thrived in the cooler temperatures.

It was staggering to think that her sister had developed a green thumb, or an interest in meditative exercise. Crossing the yard, Alyssa worked up and around the side of the house to the front where she found the door unlocked. Pushing inside, she called out but was greeted by the last voice she'd ever expected to hear on Haven.

She'd only just closed the door when a face poked around from the kitchen, telling her that she hadn't imagined things.

Nathan Leeds.

Jesus...he'd aged. The last six years had slapped at least twice that onto his face, with deeply carved edges around his mouth and eyes. His hair—once a thick, lustrous wheat blond he'd spent way too much time perfecting in high school—had thinned out. The hairline had receded a good inch and a half making his face appear longer and more haggard.

"Wow, god damn Alyssa, it's been ages." He moved forwards, arms outstretched as if to embrace her but a warning glare from Alyssa had him stopping with a chuckle. "Still pissed at me, I see."

She hadn't seen or spoken to him since he'd given up on hounding her with weekly, sometimes drunken, phone calls, believing that she and Eva had been in constant communication behind his back. All she could see was the guy who had knocked her sister up in high school and had over the course of ten years had made her miserable. Who had neglected his family and cheated and lied. Who'd dragged them through the courts, first for the divorce, and the second time for custody, determined to make their lives Hell in the process.

And here he was, standing in Eva's home like he belonged here, like he had every right to be back in their lives and it grated Alyssa even more to know that her sister had gone to him first. Patching things up with him so neatly while things between her and Eva was still an impossibly tangled, frayed mess.

Pissed? Pissed didn't even begin to cover what she was feeling.

"Where's my sister?"

"She asked me to stick around for a minute while they went to grab something from the market," he said and jerked a hand over his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm, not staying for dinner. Just came to see the girls home."

"Good."

Despite her snide remark, Nate's smile spread. "It's good to see you again, Lys. I just want you to know, Eva and I, we've made our peace. I want us to do the same." He held out his hand, waiting for her to accept it. To accept him. Jesus, like she had a choice?

Reluctantly, Alyssa slid her hand into his. "You've got a long way to win me over," she warned. "Ten years of bullshit can't be swept under a rug. My sister may be willing to, I'm not that easy."

Nate's smile didn't dim, his grip didn't waver. "I know. But we're family, and I've changed." Only time would tell if that statement proved to be true, though Alyssa had her doubts, doubts stacked upon years of his childish, immature antics.

She wasn't given an opportunity to answer or challenge that statement as footstep rumbled down the stairs with loud, giggling voices and her heart squeezed. Twisted.

They scrambled around the corner, dogs yipping and barking, weaving and racing with them. Oh god. Oh god, they were so grown up. So beautiful. So perfect. And here. Flesh and blood and here.

At Alyssa's strangled gasp three sets of eyes flew to her. Two with Eva's brown and one with Nathan's blue.

"Hey," her voice was soft as a whisper, her knees weak and head dizzy, but she refused to spoil this moment with tears.

"Who's this?" The youngest one, Lucy turned squinting blue eyes to Nate then back to Alyssa, but it was Hailey who answered the question, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Aunt Alyssa."

And Jesus, that just about did it. "Hey baby girl." Hailey launched away from her sisters, crashed into Alyssa's arms and latched on tight. Silent sobs rippled through her and Alyssa swayed, holding her just as fierce, just as tight as Payton and Lucy exchanged bemused glances.

Assessing her with a searching, thoughtful gaze, Payton stepped forward, fingers toying with the end of her long honey braid. "Auntie?"

Too moved to speak, Alyssa could only nod. Payton folded around her left side, arms overlapping Hailey who still silently wept. Lucy, apparently not wanting to be left out of it, ran and slapped against Alyssa's right with an exuberant squeal.

Nate stood there for a moment, watching them. Then, meeting Alyssa's weepy gaze, motioned to leave with a smile, whistling for the dogs to follow him out the back.

"Oh, girls, let me see you." Taking a moment to clear up her face, Alyssa peeled three sets of arms away from her, then lowered to her haunches. Hailey's face was a splotchy mess of pink and red, her eyes swimming and lips pressed in a thin line. Payton's had lost that uncertain edge though still pensive and thoughtful while Lucy, god love her, was beaming from ear to ear and bouncing where she stood.

"You're so grown up. So ladylike, all of you." Hailey most of all. At thirteen she had the lean features of a young woman, her figure taking shape with rounded hips and the promise of breasts. With a long wavy curtain of dark hair falling down to the center of her back and soulful tawny eyes, Alyssa could see that her eldest niece was going to be very popular in high school.

"I've missed you guys so much." She brushed back Lucy's dark mess of bangs from her face, then reached for Hailey's hand and squeezed it between hers. "I thought about you every day. All of you."

"I missed you too," Hailey said dragging the sleeve of her turtleneck across her face, composing herself. "Mom said you were going to visit, but I didn't know you were actually here."

"I wanted to surprise you so I asked her not to say anything." Alyssa smiled and shifted her gaze to Payton. "You were only three when you guys left Toronto. Do you remember me?"

Payton angled her face, lips scrunched in thought. "I think so. I'm not sure if I remember. You look a lot like mommy, but...not really."

"That's because they're twins," Hailey admonished, rolling her eyes.

Payton answered her sister's stroppy remark with a frown. "Fraternal twins. Not identical. Which means—"

"And you," Alyssa said, deflecting attention and hopefully deflating a budding argument, "I hear your momma calls you Gummy Bear."

Lucy giggled as she tickled her side. "Yeah, cause I'm so cute and squishy."

"You are," she agreed. "Why don't you guys come with me? We've got a lot of catching up to do."

They moved from the kitchen to the living room and Alyssa sat with them, listening as they all fought for her attention, talking over each other to tell her everything. Everything. From soccer to drama class, to Lucy's skinned knee and plans to join NASA's space program. That, or become famous and build a castle. She'd sat through a fashion show, a dress rehearsal of Hailey's upcoming play—where she was cast as the supporting lead for Secret Garden and had a full blown conversation with Lucy's imaginary friend all punctuated with excited bickering. But Alyssa soaked it all up as they dragged her from one bedroom to the other, all vying for her complete attention.

Grateful and desperate as a tree starved for rain, this was what she'd needed most. Had craved most.

Family. Connection. Belonging.

The entire ordeal couldn't have been more than twenty minutes, but by the time Eva and Marshall came home Alyssa was a grinning, exhausted mess of emotion. Hearing them downstairs, she came down to investigate as Eva and Marshall pushed in through the front door.

"Hey sis," Marshall swooped in, gathered Alyssa into a bone-cracking embrace. His golden hair pulled up in a trendy man-bun that was suited to his rugged yet handsome charm. "Just in time. Are the girls upstairs? We're late."

Late? "What?" confused, Alysa looked from Marshall to Eva. "Where are we going?"

"We're having dinner at Lottie's." Eva frowned. "Didn't I tell you?"

No, she hadn't, and Alyssa's temper spiked with mutinous resentment. "Why are we going there?" Can't we just stay here? Can't it just be us? She let the unspoken rise into her eyes, willed her sister to see it, to understand. But Eva merely blinked back at her, oblivious.

"We always spend the holidays there. It's kind of a family tradition."

"Tradition." The word sliced down the back of Alyssa's throat, scoring deep.

"Yeah. Besides, Lottie thought it would be nice to do something special for you. A sort of 'Welcome to Haven' thing. As chairman of the Welcome Wagon committee, she takes that sort of gig seriously." Alyssa watched as Eva worked around the kitchen, plucking things out of the fridge, her stride uneven and stunted, long on the left and quick on the right. Her body angled ever so slightly to the left as if to over compensate, or to keep her weight off the joint.

Concern rose to twine with her frustration. "Are you limping?"

"It's nothing. Rolled my ankle trying to get a killer shot yesterday," Eva said over her shoulder, her smile thin. "Can you carry those out to the car?" She nodded over to a couple of bags holding bottles of wine set near the entranceway. "Marshall will take the rest; I've got to get the girls organized or else we'll never make it."

Unsure what else to do, or say at this point, Alyssa nodded, taking the bags as around her she was swept into the madness of wrangling three girls and all packed goods into the large, dated mini-van.