Atilla arrived first, Solena holding his waist as she swung off the bike.I walked toward them without hesitation.The yard felt like mine the way skin belongs to a body.Solena hugged me like my preferences didn’t factor into the decision -- because she already knew I wanted the contact now.
“Everything looks beautiful,” she said.“Those roses took off.”
“They just needed patience.”I pointed toward the fence line where yellow and pink blooms opened toward the sun.“It finally paid off.”
Atilla surveyed the setup, his approval silent but obvious.“Good turnout expected?”
“Everyone on the list.Casey’s crew.Madison and Truth.Auxiliary.A full house.”
“As it should be,” he said, and that was all.
More engines approached.General.Spade.Truth.Soon the yard echoed under familiar voices and controlled chaos.I moved through arrivals greeting wives, partners, and kids, pointing people toward food tables and play spaces.
“Kids can run over there,” I told a Prospect’s wife, nodding toward the swing set Ace built.“Juice in the blue cooler, beer in the red.”
She thanked me and joined the other families already settling in.General approached next, studying me with eyes sharp enough to see things I didn’t say.
“You look steady,” he said.
“I feel steady.”
“It’s good to see.”A squeeze to my shoulder.Firm and brief.His version of affection.He walked off before I could answer.
The yard kept filling.Music played from someone’s portable speaker.Women laid out side dishes.Brothers traded jokes loud enough to bounce off the house.Ace opened the smoker again, and the scent made my stomach growl.
Casey’s truck appeared next, kids spilling out before Maui even finished parking.Three small bodies collided with me in a full-force hug.
“Aunt Marci!We brought sparklers!”
I laughed and smoothed hair away from excited faces.“Did your mom say you could have sparklers?”
The oldest nodded, eyes wide and knowing.“She said if you said okay.”
I gave Casey a look across the yard.She shrugged, a silent message sayingguess who gets stuck playing the bad guy.
“We’ll see later,” I told the kids.“Go play for now.”
They sprinted for the swing set.Casey came over balancing two casserole dishes.
“You look happy.”She studied me in the way women do when they remember who you used to be.
“I am.”
“About damn time.”She hugged me long enough to prove she meant it.“You worked hard for peace.”
Madison arrived next carrying pies.“Made your favorite,” she sang, setting them down before signing family takes care of family.
I signed back thank-you, still clumsier than I wanted to be, and her smile widened anyway.
The yard had completely filled now.Leather and laughter.Food and children and sunlight warming the air.People who once intimidated me moved through my space as though they’d always belonged here.
Ace caught my eye from across the yard as he pulled the meat off the smoker.Pride lived in his expression.Love too.Look what we built, his gaze said.Look what you built.
I touched the keys at my throat.They bumped lightly together, worn smooth from months of being held every time doubt crept in.
Tables overflowed under dishes carried by the family we chose for ourselves.Children ran fearless across land belonging to us alone.The house we painted together stood steady behind everyone gathered.Survival came first, then rebuilding, and eventually we learned how to live rather than merely exist.
Maui walked over and pressed a cold beer into my palm.“To Savage Hearts.”
