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She nodded her head. “Did you know Marien was shortened from Marienkäfer?”

He shook his head.

“It’s what a ladybug is called in German.”

His eyes widened. “Did you plan that?”

“No.” She smiled, because truthfully, it was the most chilling yet exhilarating fact about her family and its legacy. “It has always been our last name. Like somehow the earth knew that we were meant to be here, that we would always be tied to this place.”

Alana leaned close to him, placing a hand on his cheek. “That’s why we can’t leave, Leo. That’s why we need to fight for this land. It means…everything. Everything.”

His eyes dropped to her lips. He reached for her waist and pulled her into his lap. “Then we fight for it, with everything we have.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “Thank you. For listening, and for believing in me.”

“I’ll always believe in you, Alana.”

Then he kissed her, smooth and soft, his warm lips rolling against hers, his hands languid and free as they traced up and down her spine. Then, in the sanctuary of his bedroom, he laid her back down on the duvet and took exactly what he needed one more time. There was a lot of work to be done outside that door, but here, in their little cocoon, they grabbed on to as much luck as they could hold.

Alana prepared a big breakfast with pancakes, eggs, and coffee before assembling her family to the kitchen. Sophie was still groggy from sleep as she made her way down the stairs, looking like absolute hell. Her face was pale and her hair was in a ponytail with a scrunchie that was practically falling off.

Alana washed her hands and braided Sophie’s hair as Freya and Otto poured their cups and took a seat. Freya didn’t say a word as she sat down. It seemed the vitriol from the night before had been put on pause. She knew they were still simmering. But right now, they had bigger things to discuss. Bigger plans to carry out.

Once everyone was settled, she sat down and folded her legs under her, hugging her mug with her hands. “We promised no more secrets in this family.”

Otto nodded. “Yes, I agree. No more secrets.”

Sophie stared down at her barely eaten pancake. “I’m sorry for not telling you, Alana.”

She curtly nodded. “I want everything out in the open. We won’t stand a chance at saving this farm if we can’t even stick together. We are the glue that keeps this place running. So everything is put out in the open, on the table. Today.”

The three of them nodded in unison.

Alana took a deep breath. “I’ll go first. I’m in love with Leo.”

There was a lot about her life that she wasn’t sure of, but after her night with Leo, she was sure about him. She questioned if it was too soon to feel this way, if a single summer was too short to fall deeply in love. But then she thought about him. She played through the gentle ways he took care of her, how he listened, how he yearned for her, needed her as much as she needed him. Alana had never lived her life by the book, and now that love was on the table, she refused to question its presence all for the sake of making others comfortable.

She already did that once in a relationship, and she had no desire to live that way again.

Sophie squealed and covered her mouth.

Freya’s jaw dropped as she stared at her from across the table, completely stunned.

Otto simply smiled, like he knew all along.

“I know it’s probably way too soon to say I’m in love with him⁠—”

“You can’t always time these things,” Otto reassured her.

She beamed at her father, thankful for his kindness. “I know it in my bones. I’ve experienced love in all kinds of forms…” She traced a thumb up and down her mug. “This love though…I’ve never felt so sure about something or someone in my life. There aren’t enough metaphors in the world to describe what I’m feeling, and how much Leo was meant to be a part of my story.”

Freya leaned her elbows forward, threading her hands together. “You were always the poetic one.”

She stuck her tongue out at her.

“Wait, so what does this mean?” Sophie asked. The color in her face had returned, and she seemed brighter. Like the news had woken her up somehow. “Are you officially together? Does he love you back?”

They hadn’t outright discussed it, but she knew. She nodded in response. “Yes, we’re together. No, I’m not sure if he loves me back. We’ll share that with each other when it’s the right time. But I wanted the three of you to know how I was feeling, and what was going on. Because I refuse to keep secrets anymore.”