Maybe, for the first time in weeks, I can breathe again.
Like a hurricane, the four of us descend on Alec, full of noise, movement, and a kind of beautiful disorder I didn’t miss until this very moment.
At first, he looks utterly bewildered, standing frozen in the kitchen doorway with a half-empty coffee mug, eyes darting between Olivia’s chatter and the kids’ laughter. But slowly, he begins to thaw.
The stiffness in his shoulders eases, his mouth lifts into something resembling a smile, and before long, he’s laughing—really laughing—the sound echoing through the house like a heartbeat returning to life.
It’s good to hear. It’s good tofeel.
By the afternoon, we’ve settled around the kitchen table with a deck of cards and a couple of open beers. With a deep, hearty chuckle, Alec leans across the table and ruffles her hair. She shrieks, squirming and laughing, trying to fix the wild mess he’s made of it.
“Young lady.” Alec slaps his cards onto the table. “I think you cheated.”
“I did not.” Outrage colors Paige’s cheeks yet she’s grinning. “You’re just a sore loser.”
Olivia laughs softly beside me. “Sorry, Alec, but Paige is a card shark. She comes by it honestly. My father taught her everything he knew.”
“Ah, so it’s hereditary.” Alec waggles his brows as Paige gleefully sweeps all the poker chips toward her side of the table.
Drew leans back, handing me a beer before taking a sip of his own. “Although…” He smirks. “Shehasbeen known to cheat.”
Color floods his sister’s cheeks. “Drew, shut up. That wasonetime. I was ten and I said sorry. I haven’t done it again.”
Olivia bursts out laughing, Drew joining in, clearly relishing her embarrassment.
“Well, now you’ve got to tell us,” I say, grinning. “You can’t drop a bomb like that and not share. What happened?”
Paige groans, crossing her arms. “Sam, it was just one time, I swear. I was playing with Popzie, and I was losing. So I just, um…”
“She was counting cards.” Drew’s tone drips with amusement.
“Was not. I don’t even know what thatis.” Paige fumes, glaring daggers at him.
Alec is laughing so hard tears stream down his cheeks. “Oh, sweetheart, you’re terrible at lying,” he manages between chuckles. “Come here.”
He tugs gently on her wrist and pulls her to sit beside him. She doesn’t fight it. Instead, she rests her head on his shoulder as he sighs, a soft, weary sound that carries both joy and sorrow.
The sight undoes me a little.
As I watch them, something twists deep in my chest. I wish Bas were here. I wish he could’ve met Olivia’s kids, seen the way Paige’s quick wit could light up a room, or how Drew’s quiet steadiness reminds me of Alec when he was younger.
Bas would’ve loved them.
And maybe that’s what hurts most—the things he’ll never get to see, the laughter he’ll never share, the simple, ordinary moments like this that somehow mean everything.
Damn, I hate regrets.I hate wishing for what can never be.
Alec leans back in his chair, still grinning. “You’ll have to teach me, Paige. Maybe I’ll finally win a hand around here.”
She giggles, basking in the attention.
For the first time in weeks, the house is alive again. There’s laughter, warmth, and that easy rhythm of family that Bas always loved—unruly, loud, but full of life.
I glance at Olivia across the table. She’s watching the scene quietly, her smile soft and full of something that looks a lot like peace. When our eyes meet, she reaches across and threads her fingers through mine.
And in that small, unspoken gesture, I realize this—this noise, this light, this chaos—is exactly what Bas would have wanted.
Our weekend together feels like something out of a dream. The laughter, the shared meals, the small moments of joy that come between the heaviness. The kids surprise us one night by cooking dinner, and it’s surprisingly delicious.
