We followed the GPS in Alex’s car for about an hour before pulling up outside of my parents' house. I hadn’t called to say I would be coming along with her. Honestly, I hadn’t called them at all after they inserted their numbers into my phone.

We got out of the car and stood side by side, simply observing our new surroundings. The house was a two-story cottage-style home, painted in a warm and inviting shade of light blue, the exterior was adorned with white trim, giving ...