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She looked at Don, her eyes filled with a mix of joy and sorrow. "I just missed my baby so much." She laughed weakly, adding, "But I can\'t really call you a baby now, can I? You\'ve grown into a fine young man."

Samantha\'s expression grew sadder, guilt creeping in over how Don had left. Her heart pounded as she struggled to find the words to apologize. Don, not wanting the awkward atmosphere to persist, said, "You don\'t look like you\'ve aged at all, Mom. That\'s probably why you still think I\'m a baby." He gave a very faint smile, his tone slow and low.

Don felt guilty about lying to the woman who believed she had just been reunited with her son. He had imagined this moment would be easier, but reality was different. Sticking to his plan though, he decided to cut the reunion short. "Is it okay if I get some rest for a bit?" he asked.

Samantha, who had wanted to talk more, immediately stopped herself. She laughed awkwardly. "Silly me, I shouldn\'t have been smothering you. You must be tired."

"It\'s fine," Don replied. "I just have a lot to take in and I\'d like to rest now." His tone remained distant, and he didn\'t smile. Samantha looked visibly disappointed, noting that Don said "a lot to take in" which could suggest a lot of things, both good and bad.

Amanda saw her sister struggling and stepped in to help. She suddenly grabbed Don by the wrist. "That\'s a great idea. You must be tired from orientation, it\'s always hectic these days."

Samantha knew it wasn\'t just that, but she nodded, her voice still shaky. "N-no problem, regardless."

Amanda then turned her head to Don, "I\'ll lead you to your room."

But before they could leave, Samantha, looking worried, revealed, "His room has been redone as a guest room. His old things are in the basement. But if you want them, I can bring them up, or if you need money for new things..."

Don gave a small smile, trying not to seem too distant. "It\'s fine. I might like the room as it is."

Samantha sighed in relief. "Oh, then it\'s fine. You can head on up."

Amanda smiled and said, "Don\'t mind if we do," and tugged Don along.

They walked through the house, which was elegantly decorated with modern furniture and tasteful artwork.

The staircase led up to a hallway lined with family photos. Amanda chatted casually as they walked. "I hope you\'ll like the room. Knowing your mom she probably put out all the stops to make it as perfect as possible."

Don nodded, genuinely appreciating her effort but still feeling the weight of the lie he was living.

As they reached the guest room, Amanda opened the door to reveal a cozy space with a queen-sized bed, a desk, and a window that let in plenty of natural light.

"This is it," Amanda said cheerfully. "What do you think?"

"It\'s nice," Don replied, stepping inside and placing his bag on the bed. "Thanks, Aunt Amanda."

Amanda smiled warmly. "No problem, Donnie. Get some rest. We\'ll catch up more later."

As she turned to leave, Don called out, "Aunt Amanda?"

"Yeah?" she replied, turning back.

"Tell mom I said thanks, for everything," Don said, his voice sincere.

Amanda\'s smile widened. "Well, normally I\'d say do it yourself but since it\'s for my special nephew, sure. Rest well Donnie."

She closed the door behind her, and Don let out a deep breath, finally alone.

He sat on the bed and the weight of the day pressed down on him. The room was quiet and so his messy thoughts were even more apparent to him. He looked around, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.

It was a strange feeling, being in a place that was supposed to be home but felt so foreign.

He let out a sigh and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The encounter with his mother had been harder than he anticipated, emotionally at least. But he had to keep up the facade and it was draining.

As exhaustion took over, Don\'s eyes slowly closed. He hoped that some rest would help him gather his thoughts and prepare for the hurdles ahead. For now though, all he wanted was a moment of peace.

As Don closed his eyes to rest, Aunt Amanda remained outside his door, listening for any sounds.

She couldn\'t hear even the faintest shuffle so she thought he must\'ve really needed to rest. A part of her worried that it was just an excuse for him to get away from his mother, but seeing as that wasn\'t the case, she let out a quiet sigh of relief and silently walked away from Don\'s door.

She descended the stairs and found Samantha anxiously waiting at the bottom steps. Once Amanda reached her, Samantha asked, "Did Don say anything?"

Amanda smiled. "He said to tell you that you\'re the best mom in the world."

Samantha crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Amanda, I\'m being serious."

Amanda chuckled. "So am I. It\'s a perfectly good rough translation of what Don said."

"Word for word, Amanda," Samantha insisted.

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Fine, he said, \'Thanks for everything.\'"

Samantha\'s expression showed a flicker of disappointment, but she forced a smile. "That\'s good."

She fiddled with her fingers. "I better start preparing some food for him then. Thanks again for bringing him."

Amanda put her hands on her hips. "Why are you talking like I\'m leaving?"

Samantha looked surprised. "You\'re not?"

Amanda shook her head resolutely. "Nope," she said, stepping forward to hug Samantha. "I\'m going to be here to help you with Don for a bit. I already have my own case in the truck. If I don\'t stay, knowing you, you\'ll overthink yourself to death and do more damage than good."

Samantha showed a weak smile. "That\'s not true."

"It\'s fine, Sam," Amanda said, patting her sister\'s back. "You\'re not good with teenagers, just like I\'m not good with little kids. And besides, it\'s blasphemy to have a welcome-back cookout for my nephew and not invite me."

"There\'s no cookout," Samantha corrected. "I\'m just going to cook him a big dinner and—"

"Boring," Amanda cut her off. "That will only make things more uncomfortable. A late evening cookout by the pool will be much better."

"I don\'t know," Samantha said hesitantly. "What if Don doesn\'t like it?"

Amanda placed a reassuring hand on her sister\'s shoulder. "Trust me."

Samantha sighed. "Okay, but who are we inviting so late notice?"

Amanda grinned. "Easy, no one. It\'ll just be a good old fashioned family cookout. Now, let\'s get everything ready."

They duo moved to the kitchen, which was spacious and well-equipped.

Amanda immediately started rummaging through the pantry and fridge, pulling out ingredients. Samantha followed suit, still looking a bit uncertain but trusting her sister\'s judgment.

"I\'m thinking burgers, hot dogs, and maybe some grilled veggies," Amanda said, laying out the items on the counter. "What do you think?"

"Sounds good," Samantha replied, her voice more confident now. "I\'ll start on the marinade for the burgers then, you do the meat."

"Heh… meat," Amanda giggled.

———

Time flew as the two worked together, with Amanda chatting about various things to lighten the mood throughout.

"Remember the cookouts we used to have as kids? Dad always burnt the hot dogs, but we loved it anyway."

Samantha laughed softly. "Yeah, and Mom would always make that special potato salad."

"I should call her and get the recipe, she\'ll faint when she hears Donnie is back" Amanda said, pulling out her phone.

They continued to prepare the food and the atmosphere became increasingly more relaxed. Amanda\'s energy was infectious, and soon Samantha found herself smiling more freely.

"See, this isn\'t so bad," Amanda said, giving her sister a playful nudge.

Samantha nodded. "You\'re right. Thanks, Amanda."

"Anytime," Amanda replied.

As they finished the preparations, Amanda looked around the kitchen, satisfied with their work. "Alright, let\'s get this party started. I\'ll go wake Don up."

Samantha grabbed her arm gently to stop. "W-wait, give him a bit more time, he looked exhausted. Plus we need to freshen up, we\'re a mess."

"Good point," Amanda agreed. "Then you go change and I\'ll start setting up outside."

Amanda carried the food and supplies out to the backyard, which featured a large pool surrounded by comfortable lounge chairs and a spacious patio area. She then started arranging the seating and set up the grill.

"This is going to be great," Amanda said enthusiastically. "Don will love it…. I hope."