“Thank God he doesn’t do that on a tennis court,” I wheezed from my lawn chair, doubled over with laughter.
Sue, sitting beside me with a flute of prosecco, didn’t even blink. “He takes this very seriously.”
Izzy snorted into her lemonade. “God help us, he’s doing the shuffle.”
“Good grief. I’m marrying that man,” I said.
“You’re stuck with him now, love.” Izzy grinned.
Jordan lined up another shot with one eye closed, tongue poking out in concentration, and landed it perfectly. The ball dropped into the cup with a neat little splash.
He flung his hands in the air like he’d just won Wimbledon all over again.
“LEGEND!” he bellowed.
The entire cousin crew under the age of ten screamed it back: “LEEEGEND!”
I genuinely couldn’t cope. My stomach hurt from laughing. My cheeks were sore. My heart was full.
“I can’t…” I choked out, tears pricking my eyes from the sheer ridiculous joy of it all. “He’s unbearable.”
He jogged over like he’d just scored a hat trick, crouched beside me, cheeks flushed and eyes glassy with pure, tipsy affection. He smelled like beer and summer.
“You good?” he asked, slurring just enough to make my insides melt.
“Perfect,” I said, grinning.
“Need anything? More food? A drink? A back rub? Lifetime devotion? Someone to build you a house? I’ll do it, babe. I’ll learn to tile a floor.”
I laughed. “Maybe just a kiss.”
He gave me one without hesitation. It was sloppy and beer-flavoured, and honestly, somehow perfect.
“You’ve got sparkles in your eyebrow,” I said, dabbing at his face.
“Courtesy of the team MVP.” He pointed toward Bella, who was now chasing one of the boys with an open bottle of glitter like she was armed and dangerous.
I didn’t think my heart could be any fuller.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this,” I murmured, the laughter quietening now.
Jordan looked around at the fairy lights strung through the trees, at the cousins shrieking over who’d knocked over the plate of sandwiches, at the backyard chaos, at me…and the small curve of our son between us.
And then he looked back at me, smiling so softly it nearly undid me.
“I didn’t know I could be this happy.”
And God help me, neither did I.
Chapter Sixty
Jordan
The house was practically vibratingwith noise, laughter, the thunder of small feet, bowls of half-melted ice cream abandoned on tables, and what felt like seventeen kids running on pure sugar. Jesus, when was my brother going to take his lot home? I was fairly sure half of them weren’t even ours, probably neighbours who’d just slipped in. That was Mum and Dad’s house for you: doors always open, chaos always welcome.
Someone had dragged out a deck of cards, though the rules seemed to change every five minutes depending on who was losing.
Through it all, Kate was still winning. Her laughter cut through the chaos, light and unbothered, carrying down the hallway like sunlight. Even now, after hours of noise, I could pick it out in an instant.
