and aunts and cousins had come to celebrate. Lance had worked with most of them at the various ranches, which meant it was extra special since they weren’t here because he was a Coleman but because he had put in the time.
Lance had become someone they all knew and liked because of who he was, and Daniel was so proud of him.
“Uncle Mark’s here.” Daniel and Beth’s youngest, who had now insisted his name be shortened to the more mature Rob, slid up and leaned on Daniel’s arm before lowering his voice. “He must still be in trouble, because Auntie Dana is here too, but she’s sitting over there.”
He gestured with his head to the opposite side of the gathering, next to Rafe and Laurel.
Beth folded her arms over her chest. “Robbie,” she said disapprovingly.
Rob held his hands up and attempted an innocent look. “What? I can’t help it if the aunties were talking about it in the yard. He really likes her. I don’t know why she got so mad. I wouldn’t get mad if somebody wanted to build me a house. I feel bad for him.”
Laughter began to bubble in Daniel’s chest, but he wrapped an arm around his youngest son’s shoulders and guided him toward the chairs they’d staked out for their immediate family. “Remember our ongoing conversation about girls being confusing?”
“Yeah?”
“That doesn’t ever change, no matter how old we, or they, get,” Daniel said dryly before patting Rob on the back and aiming him at his chair. “Stop gossiping, and get ready to cheer for your brother.”
Only when they sat and Beth leaned her head against Daniel’s shoulder, amusement tinged his voice as he whispered in her ear, “I hope they get that straightened out soon, or Rob is going to be upset all summer. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried matchmaking.”
A snicker escaped from Beth. “Don’t start me giggling.”
The ceremony began with all the usual pomp and circumstance. The principal made a short speech. Teachers presented a few awards. Then suddenly—
“I’d like to ask the class valedictorian to come forward, please. Lance Coleman.”
Shocked silence for a moment before cheers rang out, and Lance made his way up the stairs at the side of the stage, headed to the podium.
Daniel wasn’t sure if he was coming or going. “Did you know he was valedictorian?” he whispered to his wife.
Beth’s eyes shone as she shook her head.
Lance appeared a lot more comfortable behind the podium than Daniel would’ve been. When his son’s gaze flickered over the crowd before landing on Beth then meeting Daniel’s eyes, though, Daniel smiled in encouragement.
Ahh. His son was hiding it well, but he was nervous as all get out.
Lance cleared his throat then began, glancing over the audience with youthful exuberance and a grin on his lips.
“People say graduation is a turning point. We’re supposed to consider the past years of learning as a base, and now it’s time to leave behind childish things and move into a world where what we do matters. Which makes sense, but also seems confusing. What if there are childish truths we need to hold on to?”
He turned slightly, gaze locking on his grandfather, Mike, and grandmother, Marion. “I’m lucky because I not only have a great family around me, I’ve got a large extended family. The bad part of that means I can never get into trouble without somebody finding out.”
Laughter trickled from the gathered audience as Lance twisted, facing his classmates. “That big extended family of mine has been working on a project over the last while. When I first heard about the memory book, I figured it was kind of like those scrapbooks my mom’s got. The ones with me and my brothers as little kids. There are a lot of pictures in there that are embarrassing, and yet I secretly go through them when she’s not around. We don’t have a lot of them—baby books. And some of you in my graduating class have the same thing, for different reasons.
“Sometimes our parents were divorced. That meant shuffling from one house to another, a week at a time, so not everything got recorded or not everything got put in the book.
“Sometimes—if we’re honest—there weren’t many good memories to record.”
A few heads dipped in agreement, not just amongst the youth, but the gathered parents and grandparents. It was a sad yet relatable truth.
Lance turned to where the teachers were seated. “When I mentioned what my family was up to, my friends and I