You over seasoned them ONCE and now we're living in your personally crafted hell.
CHANCE
Not my favorite sister right now.
CHARLIE
I could fake labor?
NICK
Don't you dare. We're saving that card for real emergencies.
CHANCE
Like what?
EVE
Battle stations, people. If they start telling college stories, it’s every man for himself.
"Kids!" Mrs. McAllister's voice rings out. "Time for a new tradition!”
Mama McAdams has been added to the chat.
Mama McAllister has been added to the chat.
NICK
DAMMIT EVE!
CHANCE
One year ago, if someone told me I'd be watching my father laugh over beers with Nick, discussing ski season like old friends, I'd have checked their field report for accuracy and questioned their mental state. The man who turned every breath into a tactical assessment is just... being a dad.
Talk about mission failure in the best possible way.
That first real conversation felt like defusing an IED—precise movements, raw nerves, both of us terrified of triggering the wrong wire. Him admitting he'd screwed up was just the start. We're still navigating the terrain, stumbling sometimes, but watching him now? It's like observing a completely different target.
And Holly...
My eyes track her always. Right now, she’s across the room, head thrown back in laughter at something Everett said. She's incendiary—all controlled chaos and brilliant strategy, commanding every inch of space she claims. The sight of her hits me square in the chest, that familiar ache that defies physics and military precision.
She doesn't just succeed. She obliterates expectations.
Setting her plans in motion put Vaultress Global in the news five times alone just based on their unprecedented growth and bold, strategic expansion.
Every report ended with the same burning question: What’s their secret weapon?
My Holly.
That’s always the answer. Not that she’s telling. Or Ethan for that matter. Nope. They’re both content to stay head down and full speed ahead.
Let everyone wonder. She doesn’t want the recognition. Nor does she need it. Not anymore.
This past year, watching her storm through the industry, forcing people to see what I've always known was there—it's been like watching lightning strike in slow motion.
Beautiful. Powerful.
