Lori nodded at Rosie. “And you can talk about how Janie has been helping you with your loan fraud. I know we’re both new to the group, but we’ve seen how tight you all are, how you have each other’s backs, no matter what.”
Tears burned Solo’s eyes, and she stared up at the ceiling, trying to fight them off. “You guys don’t have to?—”
“Stop,” Shay said, but her tone was affectionate. “We’re family. This is what family does.”
They talked through the timeline, the strategy, and what each person should emphasize in their testimony. Gabe, as Solo’s former commanding officer, would speak to Solo’s character and reliability. Shay would talk about the garage, about Solo’s work ethic and dedication to both her business and her family. Woody would discuss Solo’s commitment to her responsibilities. RB would...well, RB would probably say something inappropriate, but she’d also fiercely defend Solo’s fitness as a parent.
After about an hour of legal talk, Shay stood up and stretched. “Okay, enough of that. We’re supposed to be having game night, not a war council. Who wants to play Mario Kart?”
“Oh, you’re going down,” Woody said, already reaching for a controller.
Solo laughed. “You say that every time and then RB destroys you.”
“That’s because RB is secretly a gaming prodigy.” Woody stuck out her bottom lip. “It’s unfair.”
“I just have good hand-eye coordination,” RB said and grinned widely.
They played for an hour with trash talk flying, Woody getting increasingly competitive, and RB quietly dominating. Shay’s running commentary had everyone laughing, her natural charisma filling the room. Solo noticed how Rosie watched Shay with obvious adoration, how they kept finding excuses to touch, fingers brushing, their hands always seeking each other out in small intimate gestures that spoke of a relationship still in that giddy early phase. It was the same way Gabe and Lori moved around each other, careful but magnetic, still learning each other’s rhythms but clearly falling hard.
A pang of something that wasn’t quite envy registered in Solo’s gut. Wistfulness maybe. She and Janie had been like that once, in the beginning. And they were finding their way back to it, but it looked different now. Scarred and harder won, but maybe stronger for it.
During a break between rounds, Shay cornered Solo in the kitchen while she was grabbing more beer.
“How are you really doing?” Shay asked. “And I don’t want more of the brave face bull you’re putting on for everyone. I want the truth.”
Solo leaned against the counter. When Shay took the time to talk, Solo always listened. “Terrified.” She took a long pull on her bottle, hoping she might swallow some of her emotions along with the beer. “But fucking angry too. Who does Angela think she is? She failed as Janie’s mom so now she wants a second chance withourkids? It’s fucked up.”
“It is.” Shay grasped Solo’s shoulder, her penetrating gaze looked right into Solo’s soul. “What else?”
“I’m trying not to fall apart because Janie needs me to be strong.”
“You know it’s okay to not be strong sometimes, right?” Shay raised her eyebrows and stared at her. “You can still be the baby of the group who doesn’t have it all figured out.”
“I’m not the baby anymore,” Solo said, a little taken aback when she realized she meant it. “I’m a mother of three. I’mfighting for my marriage and my family. I’m...I’m an adult now.”
Shay smiled. “Yeah, you are. And you’re handling it really well. We were worried that you’d spiral when Janie left and maybe fall into old patterns and start drinking too much. Or even shut down completely.”
Solo’s chest tightened. “I won’t lie, I thought about it. I was on my knees literally and figuratively the morning Janie left. But then I heard my girls calling for me, and I knew I couldn’t. My whole family needed me, and I wasn’t going to let them down.”
“Yourwholefamily,” Shay said, giving Solo that same intense gaze. “Notmy girlsneed me.”
Solo frowned. “What?”
“You said ‘my whole family needs me,’ not ‘my girls need me.’“ Shay leaned against the counter beside her. “That’s growth, Solo. A few months ago, everything was about the kids. Gabe and I talked about how worried we were that you’d lost yourself in motherhood, and lost sight of your marriage.”
Solo was about to protest but stood down quickly enough. She couldn’t argue that Shay was wrong. “My girls mean so much to me,” she said slowly. “But they’re not everything. Janie’s my world. I learned my lesson. Being without her nearly killed me, and I’ll always see her as more than just the mother of my kids.”
“That’s what’s going to get you through this,” Shay said and slapped her hand against Solo’s chest. “That right there. The fact that you’ve learned to balance being a mother and a wife and yourself, all at once.”
Gabe walked into the kitchen and stopped in the doorway. “You two having a moment without me? I’m hurt.”
“Just giving Solo the Shay Washington wisdom treatment,” Shay said and ran her knuckles over Solo’s buzz cut.
“Then all will be well in your world,” Gabe said and grabbed another bucket of beer. “Now can we get back in there before everyone dies of thirst?”
They returned to the living room, where Janie was deep inconversation with Rosie and Lori. Solo caught the end of Rosie saying something about therapy approaches and Janie nodded, looking more relaxed than she had when they’d gotten there.
“Your turn, Gabe,” RB said. “I’m tired of destroying Woody’s ego.”
