The sun was starting to sink toward the mountains, painting everything golden by the time we got back to the lodge, cleaned up, and made it to the main house for dinner. The whole family was waiting for us. Elowyn immediately pulled Alex into a hug, demanding to know every detail of the flight. Lucas peppered us with questions about how high we’d gone and if we did any tricks. Even Dad seemed impressed, asking Alex whether she’d be interested in more lessons. Móraí presided over it all with a serene look on her face.
Alex answered their questions with equal enthusiasm, and I loved that my family had surrounded her, asking questions about her experience rather than if we planned to have children. I went out back to help Luke at the grill while Mom, Lou, and Belle carried side dishes to the large dining table on the covered patio and Jack, Lucas, and Penny set the table.
I’d forgotten Mom mentioned Lou and Penny would be over for their monthly family dinner as we all sat down, Alex on one side of Lou and Elowyn on the other while I ended up across from them because Belle wanted to sit by Alex. I watched carefully as Alex asked about Lou’s flower garden. I smiled to myself—of course she’d looked for ways to connect. Lou seemed to soften asshe told Alex more about the dahlias she was attempting to grow, Alex admitting that even though dahlias were her favorite flower, she felt intimidated about growing them.
“I can’t believe you actually flew the Cub,” Lou said between bites, changing the subject. “Really, I can’t believe Finn even let someone else fly the Cub.” She’d flown with me exactly twice when we were together—both times had ended with her white-knuckling the door handle and asking to land as soon as possible.
“She’s got a real talent for it,” I winked at Alex, grinning when she blushed. “It was sorta nice being the passenger for a change.”
“I thought I saw the Cub in the sky today,” Móraí smiled at me, her eyes twinkling with fondness. “Your grandaddy would be proud to know you’re continuing the tradition of sharing your love of the sky.”
“I want to try!” Penny announced from her spot by Jack. “Uncle Finn, I want fly with you!”
I glanced at Alex and then Lou before swallowing and turning back to Penny. “Alex was the pilot and I was just the instructor, kiddo. And flying takes a lot of focus and maturity.”
“But Alex got to do it,” Penny protested. “And I’ve been up with Gramma Bridget and Lucas loads of times!”
“Alex and Grandma Bridget are adults,” I explained carefully. “I didn’t have my first lesson until I was fourteen. When you’re old enough, we’ll see about getting you some proper lessons with a certified instructor.”
Lou’s eyebrows went up slightly at the distinction, but she didn’t say anything. Luke cleared his throat in the awkward silence that followed.
“How about dessert?” Elowyn asked brightly, standing up. “I’ll get us another bottle of wine too. Alex, would you mind helping me? Kids, come get the cake and strawberries.”
Alex stood up and followed Elowyn into the house with the kids as Lou turned to me.
“She just wants to fly with you, Finn,” Lou’s expression darkened. “I don’t know why you can’t just take her up. It’s all she talks about half the time—Uncle Finn and flying.”
“Because I can’t take her up there,” I hissed, heat creeping up my neck. I wasn’t sure what she didn’t understand. “Lou, I’mgrounded. I can’t fly. I offered to teach Alex because she was the only one of us that could do it and I trust her implicitly to be able to do what I can’t.”
“I…” Lou’s expression changed as if shefinallyunderstood what I’d lost. Her shoulders fell after a moment. “Finn, I’m sorry. I didn’t think—”
“Who’s ready for strawberry shortcake?” Elowyn returned, kids in tow. Alex followed behind with another bottle of wine and a bowl of fresh whipped cream. Her eyes darted between Lou and me, before glancing at her spot by Lou.
“Alex, why don’t you take my spot,” Luke stood and moved around the table. “You should sit by your beau after all.” Alex flashed him a grateful smile. I rubbed my temple, checking for any sign of tension at the sudden shift in mood.
“Hey,” Alex touched my leg and leaned close, “is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I admitted, covering her hand with mine. “Just a misunderstanding.”
We finished dessert and said our goodbyes. Maggie escorted us back to the lodge before turning and trotting back to the house. I led Alex up to our room where we took turns getting ready for bed and settling in against the pillows to look at the pictures I’d taken of her flying, the view from the sky, the magic of the day.
“Is it okay if I post the photo from the first flight?” she asked as I watched her fingers swipe across the screen of her phone—adjusting the lighting and enhancing the colors until we stood out. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“Should be fine,” I kissed her temple. “But thank you for asking. Will you send me the edited version? I’ll post it too.”
My phone dinged.
“What should we caption it?” She opened Instagram.
I thought about it. “Something about first lessons and good students?”
“I was thinking more like...” she paused, considering. “Maybe something about trusting the right person?”
The way she said it—like this was about more than just flying—made my heart expand. I opened my app and typed in my caption.
Sharing Grandpa’s Cub. Some traditions are worth keeping alive.
Alex showed me her caption:Turns out the best way to see the world differently is to trust someone who knows how to show you the sky.
