“Slow down.”
He eased off the accelerator.
Then I saw it.
White siding.
A pale blue front door.
An uneven stone walkway.
The oak tree rising behind the roof.
For a few seconds, I couldn’t breathe.
It looked smaller than I remembered, but that was how childhood worked. Everything seemed enormous when you were twelve.
The house itself, however, looked almost exactly as it had the morning we left.
I pressed my hand against the window.
“That’s it.”
Ethan parked in the driveway.
I stayed in my seat.
He didn’t rush me.
After a minute, he came around and opened my door.
“Take your time.”
I stepped onto the pavement.
The air smelled like damp earth and cut grass. Somewhere nearby, a dog barked. A breeze moved through the oak tree, sending a few leaves drifting across the walkway.
I walked slowly toward the front steps.
There was still a loose stone near the bottom.
