Luca and Max started the guitar lessons, but Max also researched his butt off trying to figure out what he might want to study now that he had his GED.
Luca and Brodie worked out most days, which gave Luca a confidence boost when his lithe body started to ever so slowly gather more muscle.
The best thing was that everyone was healthy and happy, and the house was filled with joy and love. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Chapter Sixteen
Luca
By May, spring was making everything so much better.
I didn’t necessarily hate the snow, I just disliked the times when everything was slushy and wet and icky. I’d loved the real snow, but I was also pretty much done with it by the time it was gone.
“How are there flowers over there?” Kye asked one day as we were about to go walk to the river and back just to move a little.
I looked over to where he was pointing. “Wait. There’s flowers everywhere around the edge of the backyard?”
We got derailed and went to look.
“They weren’t here last summer,” Kye murmured.
There were a lot of buzzing insects and even a few butterflies in the colorful plants.
We heard a delighted giggle and turned to look at Carys who was bouncing to us.
“You found them!” She grinned. “I might’ve bulk ordered seeds in the winter and then as soon as the ground was bare, I just threw them everywhere. I wasn’t expecting this many to grow.” She gestured at her surprise.
Kye grabbed her in a hug and kissed the top of her head. “This is amazing, Carys. Truly. I’m glad you came up with it.”
“They’re really pretty and will do wonders to insect life,” I agreed.
She looked pleased, and it was a testament to how far she’d come that she didn’t blush or feel awkward. “There should be more. I picked ones that bloom at different times. So….” She looked at her creation and beamed.
Brodie, who had been building the framework for the patio extension, walked over to us. “Well done, kiddo.” He pulled Carys into a side hug. “I thought I saw some flowers the other day, but I didn’t really pay attention. This is incredible, though. If you want to do more, just let us know, okay? Maybe you and Lina could make some bird houses and buy a bird bath? That sort of stuff.”
Her eyes began to shine with excitement. “I didn’t even think about that!”
“Oh, thank you for fixing the hose,” Kye told Brodie. “Now I can water the roses much easier.”
There was a small rose garden that had been planted by Brodie’s grandma once upon a time. It looked nice now, apparently it had been an overgrown mess last summer.
Kye gave Brodie a kiss since he was right there, then gestured with his head toward the path.
I grinned at the back corner of the yard where Brodie had all his tools and other necessary items. He’d put up a temporary toolshed, but there were piles of different kinds of things like gravel and mulch there, too, for when he needed it.
“Your man is nothing if not thorough,” I said as we bypassed a pile of sand.
Kye chuckled. “He really is. You can tell he loves building.”
We walked in a companionable silence, just listening to the sounds of the woods around us.
My eye caught on movement in the trees, so I halted Kye and pointed. A family of squirrels was racing across branches, leaping from tree to tree. Some of them were small enough to be this spring’s babies, but they too made incredible jumps as we watched.
Kye sighed happily. “Living in cities was okay, but man does this feed my soul something fierce.”
“I never knew I was missing this, you know? We did go camping sometimes when I was little, but then music happened and most of my time was spent in the city. I tried to go out into nature whenever I could while on tour, but it wasn’t always possible.”
We continued the stroll.
