I pay the price of eating so much earlier. Then, I end up needing to stay very still on the trampoline.
Mama rubs my stomach while Future cuddles against me. I stare at the stars. Back at the Village, I’d admire the night sky and wonder if Anders was looking at it, too.
Knowing I can touch him whenever I want makes me smile. I imagine us together later in bed, making each other feel good. Tomorrow, I can remind him of how special he is to me.
Startled from my thoughts, I hear Barbie’s loud voice as she walks outside. She claims the family was headed over until they saw Anders’s car. Now, they won’t come inside because I broke DeAnna’s nose.
“Well, then, I need to make a cardboard cutout of Pixie and keep it in the front window,” Bronco says, and Lana laughs. “We might never endure a surprise visit from DeAnna again.”
“You’ve gotten spoiled,” Barbie tells her brother and then calls out to Anders, who she can see sitting in the grass. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Watching out for my people!” he yells back.
I assume she can’t see us when we’re stretched out on the trampoline. Anders’s explanation must satisfy Barbie. She starts talking about making a margarita in the outside kitchen.
Crawling to the edge, I smile down at Anders sitting in the grass.
“I’m not coming in there, so don’t even ask,” he says, stretching out his long legs.
“Is there space in your backyard for a trampoline?”
“Yes. Well, maybe not once you put in the chicken coop and the atrium and the playset.”
Mama crawls over with Future imitating her. She smiles at Anders. “I’ll joyfully give up the chickens if we can have a trampoline.”
Anders just grins. “We can order a trampoline tomorrow.”
Mama and I share a smile. Future laughs, even though he doesn’t know why everyone is happy. My brother had so much fun today. Now, everything amuses him.
But as the evening grows later, an autumn chill joins the darkness. Dove and Summer hurry inside to change out of their swimsuits. Future shivers against me as I carry him toward the firepit Bronco lit. Lana offers us a soft blanket and suggests cocoa and marshmallows.
When Anders follows me around silently, my thoughts return to DeAnna and Taryn mocking him. I wish I knew how to fight better. Is that something Anders can teach me? Or maybe Topanga knows a few moves? Kicking those women in the vaginas didn’t work.
Anders sits in a chair and pulls one closer to him for me. I hold my brother wrapped up in a blanket. Future sucks at his bottom lip and looks up at me with brown eyes as dark as mine. I love how relaxed he is tonight. Anders’s world might be confusing—and often annoying—but there are so many blessings, too.
Dove appears, following around the other girls, seeming small and nervous. But when I catch her gaze, she offers me a little smile. Dove’s making friends.
By the time Future dozes off against me, Anders has his arm wrapped around my shoulders. I know we should head home. The baby needs to sleep. Mama yawns, too. Bronco’s middle two daughters soon hide inside from the growing chill. Everyone understands how this evening needs to come to an end.
The drive home is quiet. Only a twangy song plays on the radio. Once inside the house, Anders leads the way, turning on the lights and checking the security.
I help Mama get Future tucked in. Dove stands nearby, thinking over her day. She’s been quieter since Papa died. For years, I’ve waited for Dove to return to the feisty girl from the Collective. Did part of her die with Papa?
My sister doesn’t want to sleep alone. She crawls in with Future while Mama decides to sit in the main area and meditate.
“Go upstairs,” Mama reassures me when I watch her. “We’re safe when Anders is in the house.”
Smiling at her words, I take pride in their meaning. She’s learning to respect Anders. He is complicated and, at times, terrifying. But his heart is full of warmth.
Kneeling next to the couch, I whisper, “Tonight, those awful women said things about Anders. Not just insults but threats. I don’t know if I should tell him.”
Mama considers my problem. “I overheard Bronco saying how he sleeps on big decisions. Rather than leap into a choice, he lets his dreams dictate his answer. Why don’t you do that now?”
“But letting a problem fester corrupts a person’s heart.”