She gave a little jump, hard enough to startle me, which delighted her. She was getting heavy.
“Right! Good job.” She threw herself forward onto my chest, wrapping her arms around me in a hug.
“More than unicorns and kittens.” I smoothed my hand over her back—crazy little thing.
Sage watched me as I struggled to stand, holding Opal close before I let her slide to her feet, a mysterious look in her eyes. It made me hope she was seeing visions of the same future with me that I saw when I looked at her.
Opal and Sage shifted their attention to building fairy houses and letting Cheese chase acorns while we finished up our build. Their conversation faded in and out as we hammered and twisted wrenches. This was what it was all about. Easy Sundays and family. It was perfect.
Sage
The farmhouse was framed in the sunshine when we pulled down the driveway. Even the sound of the gravel crunching along the driveway elicited happiness in my heart. I wasn’t sure if it all worked together as some dopamine reaction or what, but it never failed to hit me in the feels. The late-afternoon sun slanted through the lilacs that were already starting to bloom. Their purple clusters swayed gently in the light breeze, releasing a sweet, heady fragrance.
“I like it here.” Opal bounced in the back of the truck, practically vibrating. “The food is always yummy.”
“I like it too.” I turned to give her a grin. Her ponytails were lopsided now after all the wrestling, but it just made her cuter if that was possible. Every morning, Rhodes tried so hard to fix her hair, sitting with Opal between his thighs as he tried to shape her hair into some order. I’d help, but it was always a bit of bonding time for them, and I didn’t want to interrupt. “The farmhouse always makes me happy.”
This place, with its weathered wooden siding and wraparound porch dotted with rocking chairs, wasn't just a house—it wasthe heart of us Holts. It represented a place where we all found family and love.
The area around the house was already packed with vehicles, and it was clear we were among the last to arrive.
Rhodes put his truck into park, his strong hand lingering on the steering wheel for a moment before he turned to me with that steady gray gaze that always seemed to see right through my walls. “Ready?”
“I’m good.” I was. Being here at home made my day even better, and settled some of the edges after the run-in with Catherine.
Opal was already unclipping herself, her little legs kicking with excitement. "Grandma Maggie's! Can I show her Cheese's new trick that we videoed?"
We’d managed to capture Cheese retrieving an acorn cap in his little teeth. It was just about the cutest thing ever. If she taught him how to play fetch, that would be hilarious.
“I’m sure that she’d love to see it.” Opal giggled, her curls bouncing as she hopped out, racing toward the porch with the energy only a kid could muster.
“Let’s go, sweetheart.” His touch was warm, grounding, a reminder of how our routines had woven together these past weeks—nights tangled in sheets that made my skin tingle and mornings with Opal before school.
Before we were even up the steps, I could hear the chatter of everyone gathered and shot a smile at Rhodes as Opal swung the door open. She’d been here a few times now and wasn’t shy about letting herself in, which Maggie adored.
Fish gave a happy yip and came to bump around us, nudging into Opal and licking at her as she giggled. I’d swear that if Kipp and Hattie would let her, she’d steal Fish for her very own.
The air was thick with the smell of pot roast simmering in the old cast-iron Dutch oven on the stove, mingled with what I was positive would be mashed potatoes and fresh herbs. It was too early for them to be from the garden, but Maggie kept a small greenhouse of her own up against the barn in the early spring.
The house was packed full, just as I expected. Chloe was already at the counter dicing vegetables with precise, rhythmic thwacks. “Geez. Finally! I was going to call and find out where you were. Sage, get to making the honey butter, or it’s going to end up all grainy. And the salad tongs. East is no help at all.”
East rolled his eyes dramatically. "Hey, I preheated the oven! That's a contribution. And I built a whole play thingy for this squirt.” He made a grab for Opal as she dashed by with Fish.
“No, no, no.” She squealed as she dodged. “You can’t catch Fish and me.” She darted around Wade’s legs, almost knocking him over. “Out of the way, Uncle Wade.”
“I see how it is.” East laughed. “I got to step up my game.”
“Always.” Lila agreed, giving him a peck on his cheek.
Kipp, lounging against the counter with Hattie nestled into his side, rubbed her stomach as if he was already picturing a baby bump there.
Maggie had just come in from the back garden door and spotted Opal. "There's my girl! Tell me all about that kitten of yours. Cheese, right? Did he learn any new tricks?"
Opal barreled into her, words tumbling out in a rush. "He chases his tail and climbs the curtains! But Daddy says no more climbing, or he'll be in time-out. I tried to put him in my backpack for school, but Daddy caught me.”
A knock sounded at the front door. Ellis hovered there, his massive frame looking almost comically out of place among the domestic bustle.
“Don’t just stand there. Come on in.” Phiny’s expression was a mix of amusement and resignation, but she tossed him a cookie from the cooling rack.
