"We did it," I hear Sadie whisper to her. "We found home."
Rowan's eyes shine suspiciously bright as she looks around the room, at my family, at Poppy in my arms, at the genuine acceptance surrounding them.
"Yeah," she agrees softly. "We did."
I look up to find Aiden smiling at me. He raises his beer bottle in a silent toast. He understands what I'm seeing, the healing happening right before our eyes. Not just for Sadie, but for Rowan too. For both sisters who've spent too long running, too long fighting, too long protecting each other from a world that seemed determined to hurt them.
Poppy chooses that moment to loudly announce, "Cake!" which breaks the emotional tension perfectly.
"Yes, princess." I laugh, kissing her curls. "Cake time."
As everyone gravitates toward the dessert table, I make my way to Sadie and Rowan, Poppy bouncing excitedly in my arms.
"Surviving?" I ask Rowan with a smile.
"Barely," she replies, but her expression is lighter than I've ever seen it. "Your family is a force of nature."
"They mean well," I say, passing Poppy to Sadie. "And they're your family now too. For better or worse."
"Mostly better," Sadie says, settling Poppy on her hip. "Right?"
Rowan looks around the room, at my mother cutting generous slices of cake, at my aunts arguing good-naturedly over who gets the corner piece, at Adrienne showing my cousins something on her phone that has them all laughing.
"Yeah," she admits, a genuine smile spreading across her face. "Mostly better."
I'm reaching for a slice of cake when I notice my brother has detached himself from the wall where he's been observing. Aiden moves through the crowd with that quiet confidence that's always come naturally to him, heading straight for the one person who hasn't met him yet.
"Shit," I mutter under my breath, earning a raised eyebrow from Sadie.
"What?"
I nod toward Aiden's approaching figure. "This should be interesting."
Rowan is still laughing at something Adrienne said when Aiden steps into their circle, extending his hand.
"I don't think we've been properly introduced," he says, his voice carrying that slight Texas drawl he's picked up. "Aiden Slade."
Rowan's smile dims slightly as she takes his hand. "Rowan Calloway."
"Sadie's sister," Aiden says, not a question. "Co-owner of Pike's Perk, right?"
"That's right." Her tone is coolly professional, the same voice she uses with suppliers who try to shortchange the café. "In Virginia Dale."
I suppress a smile. Classic Rowan, establishing her territory immediately. Beside me, Sadie shifts Poppy to her other hip, watching the interaction with curious eyes.
"I've heard good things about your coffee," Aiden says, his hand lingering on hers a beat longer than necessary. "Looking forward to trying it now that I'm back."
Rowan withdraws her hand, crossing her arms. "We're pretty particular about our beans. Not everyone appreciates the difference."
Oh damn. I've seen that look before, Rowan's sizing-him-up expression, the one that says she's not automatically impressed by the Slade name or looks.
But Aiden doesn't retreat. Instead, his mouth curves into that lazy half smile that's gotten him out of trouble his entire life. "I'm a quick study. And I know quality when I see it."
The double meaning isn't lost on anyone, least of all Rowan, whose eyebrows arch dangerously high.
"Is that so?" She takes a deliberate sip of her drink. "Well, feel free to stop by. We can always use the business."
I nearly choke on my cake. Beside me, Sadie makes a small sound that might be a suppressed laugh.
