I curl my fingers around the armrest, doing my best to keep my ass in my seat but ready to jump up at any moment. But then I see Tate smile. A genuine smile. And it’s directed at Thumper. I almost shit myself when she leans forward and wraps her arms around him.
“Huh,” Ivy mutters. “The world must be coming to an end.”
They pull apart after a few seconds, and Thumper has a smile on his face too.
“We’re good,” Tate calls out as they start walking in our direction.
“Weirdest shit I’ve ever seen,” Ivy says before taking another sip of her wine.
I’m out of my seat a second later, heading toward Tate. I don’t even look at Thumper because I need to know what was said first.
“You good?” I ask her, holding her face between my hands and staring deep into her eyes.
“He apologized for the past, and I thanked him for saving my life. We’re square now.”
“That simple?” I ask, finding it unbelievable.
“That simple. I can let shit go, especially when it involves me having the ability to still be standing here today. He could’ve let Katie kill me.”
“Jesus,” I whisper, thinking about that statement. He could’ve. I would’ve murdered him with my bare hands if he had, but he damn well could’ve let Katie kill her.
“It’s time to bury the hatchet, Wylder. At least for me. I don’t expect you to forgive him for all the shit in the past, but I’m going to for what he’s done to me,” Tate says.
“It’s been a lifetime of shit,” I reply.
“I know. But I love being with you and your girls. He’s your brother, like him or not. He’s going to be around, and I don’t feel like constantly being at war with him every time we’re together.”
“Why do you have to be so smart?” I ask her, still holding her face. “I love being with you too, Tate, but if that means not having my brother in my life, so be it. He’s made his choices.”
“Again, he apologized. I’m good. We’re good. But I’m thirsty and could really use a cold drink.”
“Tate!” Maddy yells across the yard, waving her hands. “Dad, let her go. We want to spend time with her too. Stop hogging Tate.”
Tate smiles at me. “We better go, or else the teenager’s going to lose her shit.”
I sigh, resting my forehead against hers. “She’s insufferable.”
“You can have me all to yourself tonight.”
“Promise?” I whisper.
Tate places her hands against my sides near the top of my jeans. “Promise.”
“Tate. Tate. Tate,” Hazel says, popping up next to us like she materialized out of thin air. “Look what Uncle Thumper brought me.”
The moment we were having is over, but there’s a promise of later. I’d hold on to that while trying to navigate the most dysfunctional impromptu family gathering in my own backyard.
Tate takes the toy from Hazel’s hand, inspecting it as we walk toward the patio. “What is it?”
“I dunno. It’s cute, though. Isn’t it?” Hazel asks Tate as she reaches for her hand and curls her little fingers in Tate’s palm.
“It’s adorbs.”
“We good?” Thumper asks me as we get closer. He looks hopeful, and there’s a kindness in his gaze I’m not sure I’ve ever seen before.
“Yeah,” I tell him. I can let the past lie until the next incident. I’ll cross that bridge if and when I come to it.
“This is a good day,” Ma says with the biggest smile. “All my kids and grandkids in the same place and no one’s fighting.”
