Inhaling deeply, Keith's heart hammered into his chest as his grandparents home came into view.
It was a modern two-story house with baby blue siding. Keith walked up the walkway that led towards the porch. With every step, his anxiety seemed to whisper louder and louder in his ears.
It wasn't easy to ignore, but he did so anyway. The idea of having a fresh start was a murmur compared to the cackling anxiety but it was heard.
Even as the groaning of the wooden porch under his weight, he could still hear it. The sound of hope. He gripped the doorknob and opened the door. As the door creaked open, the smell of fresh paint entered Keith's nostrils.
An expression of disapproval spread across his face at the unappealing smell. Keith shook his head and continued into the house that would now be called 'home'.
Walking through the house filled his body with an immense feeling of nostalgia. It was like his memories of the house seemed to flow out of the walls and come back to life. Replaying events like a movie at a theatre.
Keith walked down the hallway and passed both the living room and theatre room to enter the kitchen.
The kitchen still had its formal appearance and was still in tip-top shape despite how old it was. A smile crawled onto his lips as he remembered his grandparents cooking here.
Keith would always find the couple bickering at the sink about what they should make.
Keith's smile widened as his hand glided on the smooth marble of the island before he reached the back door, leading out to the garden.
Walking onto the deck, Keith placed his hands on the railing, his eyes staring at the view in front of him. The ocean was sparkling under the beating sun, waves gently crashing against the sand- the smell of sea salt permeating Keith's senses as a soft breeze blew past him, ruffling his locks of silky brown hair.
The chortling sound of seagulls could be heard from the deck as the breeze continued to dance around in the still open air. People could be seen swimming in the water; adults tossing their children into the air and the water, families playing with beach balls. Keith remembered when he was a child, his grandparents would go down to the beach with him and swim with him.
His grandfather would also lift him and throw him into the salty ocean. They were in pretty good shape considering their age, so they were able to move around better than most people their age.
The image of his grandmother building sandcastles with him while his grandfather always urged them to go back into the water. He could already hear their voices but it was soon carried away by the wind, almost like they were there for a brief visit.
A large, warm hand was placed abruptly on Keith's shoulder, resulting in a squeak leaving his lips. Keith spun around swiftly, his hand on his chest over his heart to face the perpetrator.
"Holy fuck," Keith cursed, swatting Ethan's hand away from him as his father laughed, "You scared the shit out of me!"
"And? It was worth the reaction! That was hilarious!" Ethan said and Keith sticking out his tongue.
"Keith, Aunt Carol and Uncle Adam are here with Luca!" Elijah called from inside the house. Ethan and Keith going back inside the house, Ethan sliding the door closed behind them
Carol, Adam, and Elijah were sharing greetings when the pair approached them. Keith's little boy stood next to Elijah while gripping onto his pants, looking around the room curiously as if wanting to explore the house.
"Luca!" Keith called, snapping Luca out of his trance, beaming once he saw his mother.
"Daddy!" Luca squealed, releasing his grip on Elijah's pants and running towards Keith, his arms raised above his head.
Once Luca got close enough, Keith picked him up and kissed his cheek, brushing his cheek with his thumb.
"Hey, baby boy!" Keith cooed, nuzzling Luca's cheek causing Luca to giggle, "Did you have fun with Aunt Carol and Uncle Adam?"
Luca nodded his head. "Yeah! We got to go out for lunch and then we went to go get ice cream since it was so hot outside! Sarah said the ice cream would help cool us down!"
"Wow, that does sound like fun!" Keith smiled, adjusting Luca in his arms.
"Is this our new house?" Luca asked, his blonde curls bouncing as he turned his head excitedly, taking in the new environment.
"Yup!" Keith said, turning and walking to the stairs. "Do you wanna see your new room?"
"Yeah!" Luca cheered.
Keith smiled and began heading up the stairs, leaving his family members to settle down in the living room.
The plain cream walls along the staircase were decorated with a few framed photographs of Keith and his grandparents. Even if they were not there physically, Keith still felt that they were there.
Turning to his right, Keith stopped at a door that had a sign that read Luca on the door and opened it. He let Luca down on the floor so he can look at his new room. The door was barely even open before Luca rushed inside, spinning around so he can see everything.
Luca was a big fan of Disney and Mickey Mouse, so Keith had it decorated with Mickey Mouse merch. His bed was a twin-sized fitted with a Mickey Mouse comforter. The headboard was also shaped like Mickey Mouse ears and placed on top was a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal that was just as tall as Luca was.
The walls were painted a light blue with Mickey mouse heads stuck all along the surface of the walls. He looked up and saw a ceiling fan that had pictures of Mickey Mouse characters on each of the blades.
"Wow!" Luca said as he climbed the small two-step ladder on the cream carpet to get onto his bed.
"Do you like it?" Keith questioned, walking up to the bed and smiling at the sight of Luca cuddling with the stuffed animals on his bed, all Mickey Mouse themed.
"I love it, daddy!" Luca said before standing up and jumping into Keith, who caught him, "thank you!"
"You're welcome, baby," Keith said, his heart-melting as he looked at his son, feeling blessed to have him in his life, "let's go back downstairs, hm?"
"Okay!" Luca said, wrapping his arms around his daddy's neck as Keith left the room, heading back downstairs.
Keith couldn't keep the smile off of his face. The fact that Luca was so happy practically wiped away his feelings of anxiety, replacing it with feelings of happiness and pure excitement for the memories they would make in their new home.
Once downstairs, Luca squirmed out of Keith's arms, diverting his attention towards Maximus who was sniffing around the house.
"How does he like his new room?" Elijah asked as he came out of the living room.
"He says he loved it!" Keith beamed so brightly that it was blinding to the naked eye.
"Max this our new home!" Luca exclaimed, hugging Maximus, who licked his face, "ew doggy water!"
"I think he'll do just fine and so will you Keith," Elijah said, placing a hand on Keith's back and rubbing in small circles.
Keith flashed a small smile at his father before looking down at his feet. The flurry of emotions had suddenly made him exhausted but at least that nagging feeling that something would go wrong had finally calmed down to nothing but a dull mutter.
"I hope so,"