-Kinfolks by Sam Hunt-

Mark had imagined his return to Boulder, Colorado, a thousand times. Yet, no daydream could live up to how anxious he was as they rode through his suburban hometown.

His father worked as an engineer manager while his mother was a family practitioner.

Together, they gave him and his sisters a comfortable life but taught them the importance of hard work and ambition. Taught them that the world didn't owe them anything, and entitlement would get them nowhere good.

Despite adversary, Mark was proud that he had managed to hold on to the values built into him as a kid. Not to say, prison didn't tempt him because it did on one more occasion.

He might have left the place with trauma and nightmares, but he managed to keep sane, and not a lot of people couldn't say that.

As they passed by stores and restaurants, Mark remembered hanging out with his friends. Going to get ice cream with Brianna, and places his family would eat dinner on the weekends.

There were so many memories. All were good until the day Brianna was killed kept creeping inside his head, every chance it got.

There were so many emotions and thoughts going through Mark's head, he didn't know what to think or feel.

Frankly, if it weren't for Denise being by his side, there was no way he could face his family alone.

Mark was so busy trying to consolidate his thoughts and feelings, he hadn't noticed they arrived at Adeline's house.

Denise killed the engine and looked at her anxious boyfriend for a moment. She followed his gaze up to the light blue two-story home.

It was like straight of a family sitcom with its beautifully kept lawn, spacious porch with a swing couch, and a USA flag, waving proudly.

Denise had never met any of her boyfriends' family members before. She practically refused, considering how serious it would make the relationship.

And old Denise wasn't serious about anything except liquor and her cigarettes.

Nervousness was prying at her too. She hated to admit it, but she actually wanted Mark's family to like her.

For the first time, she cared about someone's opinion of her.

Denise loved Mark, and after their conversation in Wyoming, she knew that there wasn't anyone else for her.

There were no ifs or maybes when it came to him.

It was yeses and eventually.

She hated the thought of Mark being caught between her and his family if they turned out not to like her.

Denise didn't plan on being with any other man, making it so his family's opinion, to an extent - mattered. Especially if she was going to apart of the family someday.

Sex, children, family - three things that had gone wrong in her life, were trying to make their way back. Trying to become something functional and healthy. Something good.

That didn't make it any less scary. 

Denise was so used to living a depressing life and making bad decisions that she was afraid to mess up. Even though that was inevitable, sometimes. No matter how perfect she wanted to be, that was too much pressure on a flawed human being.

Denise took in a deep breath and stayed calm. She wanted to support Mark, who was already anxious enough, so she kept her worries suppressed - for now.

"You're not thinking about ditching, are you?" she broke the silence.

"Nah, no," Mark let out a nervous chuckle. "Of course not."

"Good, because I wouldn't let you," she grasped his hand. "You have a chance to reconnect with your family, and not everybody gets that."

"You're right," Mark nodded. He looked into her eyes, trying to gauge what she was feeling. Outwardly, she didn't seem nervous.

"What?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing, I just thought you'd be a little anxious. I figured you were the type to avoid parents."

"I was," Denise gulped, looking up at the house. "And I am anxious. But it's not about me. It's about you and your family. Besides, to the whole world, we're just friends anyway. They probably don't even know about us."

Finding some relief, Denise grinned, "hopefully, they don't suspect anything. It's way less pressure if they think we're just friends."

Denise tilts her head to the side, noticing a blonde with short hair, coming out of the house.

Her eyes were locked on the van like a child excitedly waiting for their parents to get home.

"Is that Adeline?" Denise recognized her from Instagram photos.

From Adeline's Instagram, she was able to find Samantha's too. It gave her a glimpse of what they were like and where they were in their lives.

Adeline is thirty-eight years old and married with two boys. A ten-year-old and a five-year-old. She followed in her mother's footsteps, working as a family practitioner.

Samantha, thirty-five, was also married and mother to a twelve and two-year-old. She was a stay at home mom and ran a successful business creating hand made jewelry.

They were women Denise wouldn't usually find herself hanging out with. She stalked their Instagrams intending to learn about them and left terrifyingly intimidated.

"For all they know, you guys are just friends," Denise mumbled to herself as she followed Mark out of the car. "Relax," she told herself though it didn't work.

Putting her focus off her intimidation, Denise got an excited and curious Rex from the back seat. She stood by watching Mark embrace his crying oldest sister.

"Look at you," she pulled back to get a good look at him. "You are not so little anymore. Like at all."

Mark laughs, fighting back tears of his own "You cut your hair. You said you'd never cut your hair."

"Yeah, well, kids will lead you right down to a mid-life crisis."

Mark chuckles, "I like it."

"I like that you're here," she hugs him again. "I can't believe it's been so long."

Mark picks her up off the ground, embracing her tightly.

Adeline was twenty-four when he got convicted. Samantha, twenty-one.

"And you're still handsome as ever," Adeline caressed his cheeks.

Mark found himself surprised. He looked like he could crush somebody with his bare hands.

But not to his big sister.

His conviction never mattered to her.

Her little brother wasn't a killer. And despite what he looked like, all Adeline saw when she looked in his eyes was the respectful, kind, boy she grew up with.

As Adeline wiped her wet cheeks, Mark turned her to Denise.

"Addy, this is -"

"Denise," Denise held out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, darling, no need to be formal, we do hugs around here," she pulled a shocked Denise into a tight embrace.

Locking eyes with a grinning Mark, Denise awkwardly but indeed hugged her back. She was speechless and didn't know how to respond.

Pulling back, Adeline noticed. "Honey, when I said that I was a fan of your videos, I meant it. It's taking everything in me, not to fangirl right now."

"Seriously?" Denise couldn't hold in a laugh if she tried.

"I'm serious. Your story is inspirational. You're beautiful, you're funny, you're real, and if I can tell anything from watching you guys videos', is that you're Mark's family. And that makes us family too."

Denise could have cried right then and there, but she kept her cool. Hadn't set foot in the house, and Denise was already being accepted. By someone who had only seen her in YouTube videos at that.

She didn't feel the need to judge Denise or "scope her out."

Adeline welcomed her with open arms, signifying that just because she wasn't blood-related didn't mean she wasn't family.

After all, it was Denise who had been with Mark and knew him. Not his biological family.

They only knew of the boy who got convicted, not the man after prison.

If anything, they were strangers.

"You guys are right on time for dinner," Adeline led them up the path to the porch after greeting Rex.

"Does everyone know I'm coming?" Mark asked.

"No, I kept it a secret. They don't suspect a thing."

"Oh, shit," Mark's nerves intensified.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine," Adeline stops at the door and turns to him. "You're not a villain here, Markie. You're not the embarrassment of this family, no matter what that jury claimed. Your home is here, and its always been. You understand?"

Feeling more at ease, Mark nodded, "yeah."

"Come in," Adeline ushers the two inside.

As if Denise, too, was reuniting with family, Adeline held both her and Mark's hands as she led them into the dining room.

The kids were already sitting down, while the adults were finishing setting the table. They were talking, joking, laughing, thinking it was a typical family dinner.

"Look, who I found!" Adeline silenced the room.

All heads turned, following the sound of clinking silverware and plates.

"Oh my god!" gasped Samantha, the middle child between Mark and Adeline.

"Markie!" tears of joy came streaming down her cheeks as she leaped into her little brother's arms.

"Hey, Sammy," Mark squeezed her tight.

She pulled back from him, astonished. "Holy shit, how are you here?"

"Langauge!" her twelve-year-old daughter and husband, scolded.

"Sorry," she waved them away, ignoring their eye-roll that hinted the thirty-five-year-old had a bit of a pouty mouth.

Denise puts Rex down, and the children take no time, meeting the pup halfway to greet him.

"What are you guys doing here?" Samantha hugged Denise like she had known her for years.

"I reached out, and I invited them," explained Adeline. "This family has wallowed in guilt for way too long. I thought it was time we bring our boy back," she patted Mark on the arm.

Samantha stepped to the side, telling Denise how much she loved their videos, and how much she appreciated her authenticity and realness.

Unlike Adeline, she was unapologetically fangirling that Denise was standing in the same room as her.

All while, Mark had his eyes locked on his parents. His mom was on the edge of tears and could barely speak, just like his father.

"Hey, mama," Mark wrapped his arms around her, and she broke.

She clung to him as if her life depended on it. Like she never wanted to let go.

The whole scene brought more tears to Adeline's eyes, and even Samantha was trying to hold back her own.

"Ryleigh, go get some tissues," Sam told the twelve-year-old, who got up to do so.

Mark hugged his father, who patted him on the back, "welcome home, son," his voice broke.

"Thanks, Dad," Mark patted his back in return. He pulled away, looking at Denise, who was overwhelmed by it all.

The hugs, the tears, and the evident love the family had were unlike anything she had ever experienced. Mark went to prison, came back, buff and tattooed.

Yet his family welcomed him back like a soldier who had been shipped out.

She got pregnant, and her family abandoned her like some traitor.

For her, families like Mark's didn't exist. Yet there she was, witnessing it first hand.

"Mom, Dad, this is Denise," Mark introduced them. "Denise, this is my mother, Audrey, and my father, Eugene."

"It's nice to meet you," Denise held her arms out for a hug, already conforming to the family's way of greeting.

"It's so nice to meet you!" Audrey rubbed her back, affectionately.

"We're glad to have you," Eugene hugged her too.

Ryleigh returned with the tissues, giving it to Samantha.

"Thanks," Samantha gives some to her mother, sister, and father. "Ryleigh, this is your uncle Mark."

"Hi, Ryleigh," Mark holds his hand out to her.

She shook his hand, her gaze upward. "You're even bigger in person," she smiles mischievously. "You should come with me to school. I've got a few kids who've been getting on my nerves."

"And that right there gives you a glimpse of your niece's personality," Samantha turned and pushed her twelve-year-old back to the table.

"She reminds me of you," chuckled Mark.

"Don't remind me," Samantha rolled her eyes. "That there," she pointed to a tall, tan, well-built man, who was holding a toddler. "That is my husband Valentino, and our two-year-old, Violet."

As Mark and Denise were acquainted with Valentino and an adorable Violet, Adeline gestured her two boys and husband over.

"This is my husband William, and our two boys Oliver and Noah."

Oliver was ten, Noah, five.

With everyone reunited and acquainted, Adeline asks Mark and Denise, "are you guys hungry?"

"Starving," the two answered in unison.

"Good, good, come on," Adeline starts ushering them to the table, but Samantha stops them.

"Before we eat, we have to know," she was dead serious. "Are you two together?"

A curious silence fell over the entire room.

Mark and Denise looked at one another, thoughtfully.

For the past six months, their relationship had been a secret. The only person that knew was God himself.

Now they were standing before Mark's family. They were waiting for their answer like the season finale of a TV show.

Mark raises his eyebrows at Denise, and she shrugs.

What was the point of keeping it from his family?

With a smile, Mark takes her hand, "yeah, this is my girl."

"Damn it!" Adeline and Samantha's heads fell while their father "whoo-hoo" ed in excitement. "You two owe me twenty bucks," he clapped.

"Don't mind them," Audrey rolled their eyes. "They're always making bets."

"And they're always losing too," Eugene teased.

"Don't worry," Adeline couldn't help but laugh at their craziness. "We're happy for you guys. Sammy and I were just positive that if you were together, you would have told the internet by now."

"But daddy knew it, he swore you guys were a thing," Samantha gave him props with a pat on the shoulder.

"How'd you guess?' Denise asked curiously.

"I saw the way my boy here looks at you. I knew he was either crushing on you hard or already had you."

Denise looks at Mark, who kisses the back of her hand.

"Job well done, son," Eugene patted him on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Dad," grinned Mark.

"Alright, alright, let's eat now," Adeline guided them over to the table along with everyone else. 

****

Can't believe chapter thirty is next. I think this is probably the longest book I've ever written. 

Thoughts? Comments? Love you! I'm gonna try and get some more chapters out this weekend.