Dinner felt like a party after hearing the progress of my adoption. With eating cookies beforehand, it felt like everyone was on a sugar high. Dave kept trying to challenge me while Noah kept calling me 'Jake Atkins'. Dad and Zeke talked about his classes and when Zeke announced that he passed his summer classes, it caused even more excitement. Zeke was moving up already before he even really started his freshman year. Mom started to cry every now and then, but would stop when Noah pointed it out.
With such a rambunctious atmosphere, it didn't feel like Kyle was missing. None of us brought him up until Dad and Mom started to gather their keys and wallets.
"You're going now?" Noah asked, glancing at the messy table. Dinner was done, but no one had made a move to do the dishes yet.
Mom nodded with a smile. "Yep. Traffic on a Friday night will be tough. Your dad will need a carpool partner on the way there. Are you boys going to stay up until we get back?"
