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“God, Brant. Surely he was blocking out the sounds of my banshee wails as you brought me to ecstasy three times.”
“You can ask him when we get back.”
“I’d rather die.”
“I’ll ask him, then.” I pop the last bite of scone into my mouth and start to chew. “For my own research purposes. I’d love an outsider’s perspective. You know…were we actually at banshee-level wailing, because that’s impressive, or was it more subpar moaning?” She narrows her eyes at me, swallowing the rest of her breakfast. “Is there something else I can do? A unique angle, or a tongue trick, or—”
Laughing, she leaps onto my back, and I hook my hands beneath her thighs. “You’re humiliating.”
“I just want to learn, June.”
“You’re a brilliant lover and you know it. You’ve left no room for improvement.”
“Sounds like a challenge to me.”
I carry her around the park, piggyback style, reclaiming my boyhood title of World’s Best Piggyback Giver. My eyes are still casing the sky, where a golden haze is peeking through the clouds, when June’s phone starts to sing.
“There’s something I wanted to tell you, but…” She slides down my back. “One sec, Mom is video calling me.” June accepts the call, then extends her arm until she’s centered in the frame. Both Samantha and Andrew wave through the screen. “Hey!”
“Show Tunes June,” Andrew quips, waggling his brows. “How’s my dancing queen?”
Her eyes roll back. “Mildly horrified by your rhymes.”
“Then I owe myself congratulations.”
I slip on a smile then slide into view, lifting my own hand with a wave. “Morning.”
They both smile warmly.
And I’m so goddamn grateful for that.
I’m grateful for every single smile they gift me with—because that’s what it is. A gift. I’m beyond thankful for the birthday card I received in April, and the occasional phone call or email just to check in on me, and for the fact that they didn’t turn their backs on me after I flipped their world upside down.
They could have. They could have so easily.
So I’m grateful. Every moment that they trust me with their daughter is a precious gift.
Samantha beams, sitting beside Andrew on the living room couch. She twirls a coffee mug between her hands. “Good morning, Brant. How’s the weather over there?”
Not going according to plan, as usual, my mind replies. Instead, I say, “Rainy, but the sun is trying to poke through.”
Andrew nods. “Same here. Did Kip make it into town safely yesterday?”
“Yep,” June answers. “He was still sleeping when we snuck out for scones. Brant has this thing about going for walks together after rain showers.” She sends me a quizzical side-eye. “It’s refreshing, I guess. And the park is quieter.”
“That sounds lovely, sweetheart,” Samantha says. “We won’t keep you… We just wanted to see how your birthday went last night…”
Samantha’s voice trails off as something catches my eye just above the treetops.
A flash of pigment.
A swirl of color.
Holy shit, this is it.
I quicken my gait, marching ahead of June as she hangs back to finish her goodbyes. Rounding the corner with my head tilted up, I nearly lose my breath when a majestic rainbow comes into full view. My blood races with adrenaline. My heart skyrockets with relief.
I spin around, watching as June clicks off her call and glances at me across the way. She pauses, her forehead wrinkling as if she’s wondering how I got so far ahead of her. Or maybe she’s just confused by the giddy smile on my face and the tears in my eyes.
