“God help the PTA.”
Behind us, Diego came down the steps with Jewel on his hip, shaking his head and looking too smug for a man carrying a diaper bag.
“Don’t encourage her,” I warned him. “She’s already drunk on minivan power.”
“I like it,” Diego said, settling Jewel into the car seat with the efficiency of a man who’d practiced. “Plenty of room for snacks.”
“Spoken like a true dad,” I muttered.
“Spoken like a true man who doesn’t want to stop every fifty miles.”
I rolled my eyes and leaned down to Jewel. “Don’t let them trick you, Jellybean. This thing is a coffin on wheels. Stick with me and we’ll get you a convertible by sixteen.”
Jewel giggled, jamming her unicorn in my face, and babbling something only she understood.
“Exactly my point,” I said and kissed her cheek.
Hannah bustled out the door with a tote bag of Tupperware like she was sending them on a six-month voyage. “Breakfast burritos for tomorrow, casseroles for the day after, and pie for emergencies.”
“Define emergency,” Diego said, wrestling with the straps on Jewel’s car seat.
“Any man pretending he doesn’t need help,” Hannah shot back. She shoved a thermos into Maria’s hand. “Coffee. If you don’t drink it, pour it on Diego.”
Maria shot me a look as Hannah hurried back inside and tucked the thermos into the console. Then she hugged me tight, citrus lotion and warm cotton wrapping me in that maternal thing she carried without even trying.
“Listen to me,chica,” she murmured into my hair. “Don’t let fear steal your joy, you stubborn woman.”
My throat clenched. “Rude,” I muttered into her shoulder.
“True.” She eased back, eyes dancing but serious underneath. “There’s a kind of love that makes everything worse, and there’s a kind that makes you brave. Learn which one you’re holding.”
My mouth went dry. “I’m not—” I started, then shut up. No sense lying to Maria. She read people like grocery lists.
Behind us, boots thudded on the steps—Mac and Dalton, their shoulders squared in that silent-brothers way. Jackson trailed after, hands shoved deep in his pockets, pretending he wasn’t watching me. Which was adorable, because he absolutely was.
“Mom is at it again,” Dalton muttered. “Keeps trying to shove half the kitchen into a cooler. Says you’ll need it.”
“She’s not wrong,” Mac said, deadpan. “Road food beats gas station jerky.”
Diego smirked and clasped Dalton’s hand, the unspoken kind of goodbye Saints men seemed fluent in.
Jackson crouched beside the car seat, his drawl honey over gravel. “You take care of those mountains, all right? They’ve been waiting on a boss.”
Jewel squealed and jammed her unicorn against his face like she was crowning him. Jackson pretended to choke on it. “Oh, Sparkle, huh? Should’ve guessed.”
Maria laughed, shaking her head. “You’re fluent in baby now?”
Jackson grinned, eyes still on Jewel. “She’s got a lot to say. Somebody’s gotta translate.”
Jewel clapped her hands, drool on her chin, like she agreed with every word.
The send-off turned into a whole procession. Somebody tossed in the last overnight bag. Somebody else double-checkedthe straps on the car seat. The Saints were like an ecosystem—everyone had a job.
Maria slid into the passenger seat, her eyes catching mine through the glass. “I’ll be back before you miss me.”
“Too late,” I said, too soft for her to hear.
Diego started the engine, the minivan coughing to life like it hated its own existence. Jewel waved with both arms, enthusiasm trouncing fine motor skills. Maria blew us a kiss like a woman who believed in returns. I prayed that the death trap on wheels would get them to Montana, where Diego’s extended family waited, and back again. Safely. In one piece. I was going to miss Maria like hell while she was gone. Jewel too. Maybe even Diego.
