He lifted his eyes to hers, and oh, she found his usual mischief there. “We’re eating dinner at Mike and Gerty’s.”
“And yet, you stopped.”
“We stopped for lunch,” Daddy said.
Opal glanced over to the clock on the microwave. “Daddy, it’s three-thirty.”
“That’s because he couldn’t stop accepting rounds of applause.” Momma joined them and started to take Mari from Daddy. “My turn, Wes. You can take Opal and Tag and get the car unloaded.”
Opal smiled at her mother as she melted into complete Grandma mode.
“Oh, hello, my beautiful girl,” she cooed to Mari.
“She can eat anytime,” Opal said. “There’s breastmilk in the fridge. It’s fifteen seconds in the microwave.”
“Mm hm.” Momma moved over to the recliner in the living room and eased into it.
“There might be an earthquake in a few minutes,” Opal said.
“Okay,” Momma said.
Daddy started to laugh, and Tag shook his head as he smiled. Opal shook her head too, and she moved over to Tag. “I think they brought some things we’ll need your muscles for.”
“Non-essentials,” Daddy said. “Christmas stuff, and winter clothing.”
“And we’re just putting it in the cabin?” Tag asked.
“Yeah, Mikey said we can use it as a storage shed.” Daddy grabbed onto Tag and hauled him in for a hug. “I didn’t even say hello to you.”
Tag chuckled as he clapped Daddy on the back. “I know who you guys are here to see, sir.” They both laughed, and Opal’s heart filled to bursting to see her husband and her daddy getting along so well.
Of course, Tag got along with everyone, and so did Daddy.
“Let’s go,” Daddy said. “We filled the SUV to the brim, and Gerty’s been texting up with a tempting birria.”
Opal let them lead the way out, and she stopped in front of her mother. “Momma,” she said. “There’s a timer on the oven. When it goes off, you have to get the blondies out, okay?”
Her mother met her eye. “Okay, I can do that.”
“The ice cream machine will stop when the ice cream is churned. You can take the whole bowl out and put it in the freezer in the garage.”
Her mom smiled at her. “I can do that too.”
“With Mari?” Opal raised her eyebrows. “You don’t have to carry her everywhere.” She indicated the swing and the sit-and-play. “She loves to stand in that, and if you feed her and put her in the swing, she’ll go back to sleep.”
“I just can’t stand to put her to sleep,” Momma said. “She has such beautiful eyes.”
Opal smiled at her mom. “Okay, but you have to finish the desserts for me if you want me to go unload your stuff. I told Gerty I’d bring it tonight.”
“I can do it,” Momma promised, and Opal went to join Tag and her daddy.
Her father drove back down the lane where, a half-mile away, sat Gerty and Mike’s expanded farmhouse. The walking circle, the stable, and two barns made up the main epicenter of the farm, with acres and acres of fields surrounding it all.
A half-circle of cabins sat behind the second barn, and that was where Momma and Daddy stayed. Steele and Hazel would live in one too, once they got married next month.
Opal loved this little community on this little farm, and her emotions threatened to overwhelm her again. Thankfully, Daddy didn’t turn to go back toward the cabins, but kept driving.
He went through the gate, made a left, and the construction site that Opal walked to everyday with Mari opened up before them.
