wallow in them either. I’m moving on. So what if I didn’t get the promotion? So what if I didn’t get the guy? I have you two.” I set down my fork and speak deep from the heart, like I’ve been doing. “I need you guys. I love you both.”
“We love you,” Arden says.
“And we’re always here for you,” Vanessa says.
There’s only one thing to do now. Group hug. I have my sisters, and I’ll always have them.
When we’re done, we climb into Vanessa’s car and wind our way through town. But as we pass the Silver Tavern, I shout out that it’s time for a pit stop.
“You want to go wine tasting at nine in the morning?”
“No, I want to snag a little something.”
I pop into the restaurant that’s open for breakfast and lunch, buy a gift card, then a card at the pharmacy on the next block.
We stop at Elias’s house on the way out of town. I leave the card tucked into his screen door, congratulating him on his promotion and giving him and his wife a chance to dine at their favorite lunch spot to celebrate.
35
Derek
I grab Jodie and wrap my arms around her the second I see her. “So good to see you.”
“Whoa. You okay, sweetie?”
I nod, grateful her heart is beating. “Just glad you’re alive.”
“I’m not going anywhere, but it sounds like you had a bad day.”
“You can say that again.” I let go and pinch the bridge of my nose, squeezing hard like I can erase the night.
She glances inside. “Travis, watch the baby. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Yes, Mom!”
She steps onto the porch and shoots me a serious stare with her dark-brown eyes. “Want to talk about it?”
I shake my head. “Not really. Just one of those days. Know what I mean?”
She brushes a hand over my shoulder, understanding completely. “I do. Those days are hard. You do your best, but sometimes it’s not enough.”
“Yep.”
“But you keep going. You keep doing. It’s all you can do.”
“Yeah. You’re right.” I tell her why the shift hit me harder than most. I mention the thirty-six-year-old and how it brought so many unexpected fears to the surface.
She taps her sternum. “I can’t make any guarantees, but this ticker is in solid shape. And I’m going to do my best to boss you around for a long, long time.”
I manage a laugh. “You always were a third parent.”
“And I probably always will be.” She reaches for the door. “Come on in. Have some coffee and eggs. It’ll make your day better.”
It’s early on Saturday morning, but the crew is already wide awake, crowded around the dining room table, playing a board game that looks nothing like the board games we played as kids—no chutes, ladders, or lands of candy.
Travis and Molly shout out their rowdy good mornings to me as Travis plays from the floor, entertaining Devon who is strapped into a bouncy chair.
“What game is that?” I ask Jodie.
“Imploding Kittens? Exploding Kittens? Kittens with Mittens?” She shrugs, whispering, “Trust me, I tried to get them to play Monopoly.”
I do my best to ignore the name of the game, because I don’t want to think about Perri. I stop at the table and peruse the cards. “I bet I can beat you guys, and I’ve never even played.”
“No way! I’m an expert.” Travis puffs out his chest, his dark hair sticking up in all kinds of Saturday-morning angles. I ruffle it as Jodie sweeps up the baby and sets her in a high chair.
“You can be on my team,” Molly says, patting the chair next to her. “Devon’s on Travis’s team.”
I drop a kiss to Devon’s cheek, then snag a chair and join the kiddos for a rousing game.
Travis beats us, and I suspect it’s my fault, since I was all talk. This game barely makes any sense.
But what does make sense is this. Being here. These kids. Their smiles. Chatting with my sister as she makes eggs. Feeding the baby a waffle. Soon enough, I’ve shucked off the cloak of doom from work, and I remember something I have in the side of my bike.
I head outside, grab the gift I tucked there the other day, and bring it in.
“Is it for me?” Molly asks, her big eyes sparkling with enthusiasm when she spies the wrapping paper and bow.
“Nope. It’s for your little sister.”
“She probably needs me to help open it though,” Molly suggests.
“How thoughtful of you.”
I hand the gift to Molly, and she