With a skip in her step, Bellamy jogged the distance from the bakery near Coliseum Square Park to her parents’ house in New Orleans’ Garden District. She couldn’t help but be nostalgic. For the first eighteen years of her life, she’d lived in this town and though she couldn’t wait to leave then, returning now was sweet, therapeutic almost. At times when she was a child, the oppressive heat had stifled the breath from her lungs, and she longed to be anywhere but the sultry City That Care Forgot.

But New Orleans never took more than she gave.

In the distance, Bellamy heard a second line band, slightly off key, and she imagined them marching to Lafayette #1, offering musical last rites to a departed soul. Oak trees, gnarled and twisted, lined the street, and the scent of jasmine and sweet olive trees mixed with a spice she couldn’t place, lingered in the air. This was and always would be, home.

Her mom’s family had lived in the Garden District for over a hundred years and had acquired their fortune in medicine. A myriad of physicians, nurses, radiologists, optometrists, and other healthcare specialists made up the bulk of her relatives, most of whom worked in the family business. Even Bellamy’s biological parents had been in the medical field before they died, her mother as a physical therapist and her father, a doctor in the army. When it came time to decide what to do after graduation, much to her parents’ dismay, Bellamy made it crystal clear that medicine, or remaining anywhere near the “damn hospital dynasty” wasn’t an option.

Inside the courtyard of her family home, an Italianate townhouse, Pongo the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, along with Luci, greeted her with wagging tails.

“Are you two still angry at me for not taking you?”

Pongo barked and pounced in front of Bellamy, indicating he wanted to play and hadn’t held a grudge against her. Luci, however, flipped her head and turned away.

“Well, at least one of you isn’t mad.” She pulled a doughnut from her backpack and pointed her finger. Both dogs sat. After breaking it in two, she passed the pieces to them both. “Told you I’d bring you something back. Don’t get too dirty, Luci. We’ve got to get on the road to Athens soon.”

“I thought I heard Pongo barking,” Regina East said as she stepped onto the porch. “Come on in, darlin’. Aunt Atlee just got here.”

“Oh, awesome! I haven’t seen her in a while. I’m glad she’s able to join us.”

Regina led Bellamy through the house to the back patio where her sister-in-law sat with a cup of coffee. Atlee Adams stood and received her great-niece with a hug. “Sweet Bellamy. So good to see you.”

“You too, Aunt Atlee. How are you? How’s Finn? Has he gone bungee jumping lately?” Finn was one of Bellamy’s favorite relatives. They shared the same adventurous spirit and burning desire to get the hell away from the medical field.

“Excellent. I couldn’t be better actually. And that grandson of mine is wonderful too. Busy with school and all its projects.”

“Still dating the same girl?”

“He is. We won’t speak the word marriage to him, but we all know it’s going to happen after his graduation. I’ll tell Finn you asked about him.” Atlee folded her hands properly. “Will you be in town long? I’m sure he’d love to see you.”

Bellamy shook her head. “Not this time, Aunt Atlee. I just made a quick trip to pick up my dog. Amy and I went on an extended weekend to Florida and I wasn’t about to kennel Luci when I knew she’d get the princess treatment here. Dad took my car to get a tune up and the oil changed before I go back to Georgia.”

“How are classes going, dear?” Regina joined the conversation as she plated the pastries Bellamy had gotten earlier. “Still sticking to the sociology degree?”

“Yes, ma’am. For now.”

“If you would just take one or two pre-med classes, I’m sure you’d love them.”

After an exaggerated eye roll, Bellamy tore a piece of her cream cheese danish and passed it under the table to Pongo, who’d come around the back of the house, hopeful for more treats. “Really, Regina? Again?”

“Atlee, I’ve told her and told her she’s a natural born healer. Her demeanor, her attitude. She’d make the perfect physician.”

“Sounds like the numerous conversations between my son and Finn. Tell me, Bellamy, do you have something you want to do?”

Bellamy wouldn’t answer the question truthfully. She couldn’t. Ever since a police officer lifted her broken body from the rubble in the car accident that killed her mother, father, and older brother, Bellamy had known she wanted to give her life to the service of others. But after the death of their only son, Regina and Bill sheltered Bellamy and strived to keep her in a bubble. Regina, especially. Every move she made was scrutinized. Every step, analyzed. When Bellamy understood the reason why they were so overbearing, she couldn’t fault them. In fact, she appreciated their love, but if they knew she wanted to pursue a career in some type of law enforcement, it would break their hearts. And Bellamy wouldn’t dare hurt the two people who meant the most to her.

“Still undecided,” she said. “I’ll figure something out.”

The sound of a horn honking interrupted them, and Bellamy jumped up and grabbed a chocolate éclair with a paper towel. “Dad’s back. I’m gonna run this out there to him and start packing my car. It was good to see you, Aunt Atlee.”

“You too, hon. Be careful on your drive back to Athens.”

When they’d heard the back door open and shut, Regina spoke as she rubbed the tension in her temples. “Sometimes I think Bill and I held on too tightly to that girl. She doesn’t come home nearly enough to suit our taste.”

Atlee bowed her head. “Given the circumstances, it’s easy to see why you held on the way you did. No one can fault you for being overprotective.”

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered if we made the right decision, keeping her after the accident. You know it was selfishness on our parts, really. A three-year-old little girl had no business being with a middle-aged couple, especially when she had aunts and uncles with children closer to her age. We couldn’t bear to part with her, though.”

“If I remember correctly, the only true requirements for parenting are responsibility and love, two qualities you and Bill possessed in spades. Bellamy thrived with the two of you. She’s whip-smart, has a good head on her shoulders, and marches to the beat of her own drum.”

“But she has no clue what she wants to do with her life. She’s twenty-one and has been in college for two years. I’d think she’d have a good idea by now.”

“Finn was exactly the same way. You know what it is, don’t you?”

Regina wrinkled her brows. “What?”

“That bohemian mother of yours. They get it honest. Amanda Adams passed on her unorthodox traits to her great-grandchildren.”

“I’ve thought the same thing. Bellamy has always been a wild horse, a free spirit.” Regina chuckled. “Perhaps that’s why she and Finn get along so well.”

“I concur,” Atlee agreed. “So what she’s a bit purposeless right now? We all have our path to follow. Maybe Bellamy’s has a few extra steps.”

“Thank you for breakfast, baby girl.” Bill East took a generous bite of the éclair Bellamy had provided. “You know they’re my favorites, especially with this Bavarian cream inside.”

“There are a few more, but that’s only if Mom and Aunt Atlee don’t eat them all.”

“Never know with your mom.” After a wink, he gestured to the Prius. “Tank’s full. Washed and waxed. Oil changed. May even be a bag of caramels for you to enjoy on the way back to Athens, but I don’t know.”

“Thanks, Dad. I can always count on you.”

“You know it, sweetheart. So…” he said as he shuffled his feet, “any potential boyfriends I need to interrogate, I mean, meet?”

She shook her head. “Ha, yeah right. I don’t exactly have the demeanor that makes the boys come running.”

“What do you mean?”

Bellamy shrugged. She didn’t usually talk to anyone about her love life—or lack thereof—but her dad had always been one of her closest friends. Where she and Regina disagreed about nearly everything, great or small, she and Bill were likeminded in most things. “I’m just a little much for the average guy to handle, you know? I speak my mind and don’t flaunt myself like most girls and I mean, look at me.” She pointed to her all-black attire. “As Mom always says, I don’t exactly look warm and welcoming.”

“Well, I’ll leave your mom to the clothing critiques, but first of all, you’re not attracting an average guy. You’ll attract an above-average man. One who appreciates your tenacity and respects your need to bypass surface level conversation. And you know what else, I’m glad as hell that you’re selective. Knowing who you are apart from a relationship is more important than having one, I promise you that. Regina and I married young, too young. Most couples our age did back then and I’ll be honest, I wish we’d waited. Neither one of us knew who we were as individuals and it led to discontentment and the near breakdown of our marriage. Had it not been for you, we would have divorced.”

Bellamy had heard the story multiple times about how the terrible accident and her subsequent adoption saved her grandparents’ relationship. It was the perfect example of something good evolving from the worst circumstances. “I’m glad you didn’t.”

“Me too. I love Regina more now than I ever did back then. I’m glad we stuck it out. But it took a lot of work, changes in our mentality and attitudes. And that leads me to this: you don’t need any man or woman or housecat to find your self-worth.”

“What about Luci?” Bellamy joked.

“Maybe Luci. But seriously, baby girl, you’ve got it all. Brains, beauty, determination. As much as it pains me to think about my little girl growing into a woman, you’ve done it before my eyes. And I couldn’t be any prouder of you. I know you and Regina clash, but she feels the same way as I do. We love this independent, competent spitfire you’ve become even if we don’t always show it. Never change. For anyone.”