Emma smiles, and there's approval in it. "Good. Because she's apparently been waiting for this."
"Waiting for what?" I ask.
"For you to pull your head out of your ass about Maya."
Chase chokes on his beer. "She knew?"
"Mom knows everything," Emma says. "It's terrifying."
Later, after Ethan's in bed, Chase and Emma head upstairs to get ready for bed themselves. Maya and I sit on the back porch. The stars are visible through the light pollution, the sound of distant traffic a low hum in the background.
"Your mom's going to hate me," Maya says.
"My mom loves you. She always has."
"That was before I started sleeping with her son."
We sit in comfortable silence. Max appears from nowhere, jumps onto Maya's lap, and starts purring. She scratches behind his ears.
"Traitor," I tell the cat.
Max ignores me, as usual.
"Jackson?" Maya's voice is soft. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For..." She pauses. "For loving me when I couldn't love myself."
"That's not something you thank someone for. That's just what you do when someone matters."
She tilts her head up and kisses me. Slow and sweet, tasting like the wine from dinner. When she pulls back, her eyes are wet.
"What?" I ask.
"I'm happy. I'm actually happy."
"Good."
"Carson's in prison, Sofia's getting better, Emma forgave us. I testified and survived." She touches my face, her fingers gentle against my jaw. "I have you."
"You've always had me."
"I know. But now I get to keep you."
Inside, a door opens. Emma's voice: "Are you two done being disgustingly cute? We're about to watch a movie."
I glance at Maya, confused. "I thought you two were going to bed?"
"We decided to come back down. Plus, Maya gets to pick the film."
Maya stands, looking down at me. "Coming?"
I follow them inside. Chase is raiding the pantry for popcorn while Emma settles into the armchair.
This.This is what I've been fighting for. Not hockey, not the captaincy, not any of the things I thought defined me.
Family.The messy, complicated, beautiful chaos of people who love each other despite their fuckups.
