"I absolutely did not," Rowan protests, though there's a hint of humor in her voice. "Sadie was the one who put frogs in the neighbor's mailbox."
"Throwing me under the bus already?" Sadie calls out, drawing everyone's attention.
Rowan grins, some of that careful guardedness falling away. "Just setting the record straight. I was the good child."
"Good at not getting caught, maybe," Sadie retorts, and the room erupts in laughter.
I watch as the sisters exchange a look across the crowded space, something private and meaningful passing between them. It's a look that says more than words could: We made it. We're safe. We belong somewhere.
The moment is broken when Adrienne slings an arm around Rowan's shoulders. "So Rowan, Sadie won't tell us the dirt on Axel. What's he really like as a future brother-in-law?"
"Stubborn," Rowan answers promptly. "Thinks he knows everything. Completely whipped by my niece."
"Hey!" I protest, but I'm laughing too.
"Oh, he comes by that honestly," Mom chimes in. "Slade men are all the same. Think they're in charge until a baby girl comes along—then they're putty."
Rowan's smile turns genuine, her guard lowering further. "I've noticed that. Poppy has him wrapped around her little finger."
"And her aunt too, from what I can see," Aunt Linda observes shrewdly.
Rowan doesn't deny it. "She's special."
"So are you," Mom says with that direct sincerity that's impossible to deflect. "Both of you girls are. We're just glad you found your way to us."
I watch something complicated pass over Rowan's face, surprise, suspicion, and then a tentative acceptance. She's beenSadie's protector for so long, always on guard, always ready to fight. It can't be easy to suddenly find herself included in the circle of safety she's worked so hard to create for her sister.
"Thank you," she says finally, the words coming out a little rough. "For welcoming Sadie and Poppy. For giving them this."
"And you," Adrienne insists, squeezing Rowan's shoulder. "You're part of the package deal."
"God help me," Rowan mutters, but there's no bite to it.
Aunt Martha leans in conspiratorially. "Now tell us, who's the handsome man you were talking to at the brewery opening last month? Tall fellow, beard, couldn't take his eyes off you."
"Martha!" Mom scolds, but her eyes are twinkling.
Rowan's face flushes crimson. "That was just… He's nobody. We were just talking about beer."
"Mm-hmm," Aunt Martha hums skeptically. "That's not what Adrienne told us."
Rowan shoots a betrayed look at Adrienne, who just shrugs unapologetically. "What? You two had chemistry. And he was cute."
"He's one of my distributors," I explain, taking pity on Rowan. "Ryan's a good guy."
"And single," Adrienne adds helpfully.
"Oh my God," Rowan groans, covering her face with one hand. "Are you seriously trying to set me up right now?"
"Welcome to the family, honey," Aunt Linda says, patting her arm sympathetically. "No one's love life is safe around these women."
To everyone's surprise, perhaps most of all her own, Rowan bursts out laughing. Not her usual controlled chuckle, but a genuine, full-bodied laugh that lights up her entire face.
"What's so funny?" Sadie asks, moving closer to her sister.
"Just realizing," Rowan manages between laughs, "that I've spent all this time protecting us from danger—and now I need protection from well-meaning matchmakers."
The room fills with laughter, and I watch as the last of Rowan's defenses crumble. Sadie slips an arm around her sister's waist, leaning into her side.
