“Love you right back, little man. Over.”
Someone sniffled down the line. Others chuckled or cooed. I put my radio back on my belt, and we continued toward the point where we’d turn back.
Payton started to hum a song by Bodhi’s friend, and I just couldn’t stop smiling.
Epilogue
Crew
My family would take any excuse to get together, but we rarely got the occasion to also take the time off of work. There was always something that needed doing and the animals needed looking after. But on holidays, we divvied out the necessary chores, got them done as quickly as possible, and then spent time together. Memorial Day was no different and for the first time in a long time,allof my family was together. Including the new additions.
The twins made it home a week ago and then slept for at least a day. Mom was fussing over her “baby boys.” Keegan had no problem with it but Judson only allowed it for a few hours before he spent his days riding through the property. He was vague about what he was doing and only said he had some ideas about improving the irrigation from the creek. He was puzzling it outand I was happy to let him. Judson would talk when he was ready to implement a new plan.
Isley and Jerrica finally arrived late last night. They’d gotten a late start on the road and then had to spend an extra day in Chicago. Their one day stop for sight seeing had turned into two when a raging thunderstorm ravaged the area and they decided it was safer to stay put instead of trying to drive through it. Dad had made grumblings about how they just should have flown and used any of our several vehicles to get around while they were here. But they wanted to do the whole road trip thing, and play tourist at several stops, to wind down from a stressful semester.
Bodhi being home was the real novelty. Really, it had been years since he’d managed to get leave long enough to spend more than a day or two with us here. We usually went to see him, in small groups. But he was out and settling back in. He hadn’t told me exactlywhyhe’d chosen to leave the Marines, but I had a feeling at least Dad knew. Bodhi would talk if and when he was ready.
But my favorite part about this get together were the new additions. I smiled fondly as my gaze tracked through everyone until I found Mal. He was sitting in the sun, looking like a snack, laughing with Emery and Russ. He nudged Hawk, who cracked a smile and shook his head. I grinned and took a sip of my beer, the bottle sweating against my fingers.
A cackling laugh drew my attention and I searched until I found Mom, setting up the food table with Fiona. Mal’s mom was an absolute treasure, and I adored the shit out of her. She was bright and funny and loved hard. She and Mom got on like a house on fire, so much so that they started the “Mimi and Nana Club” which mostly consisted of coffee, pastries, and gossip on the front porch every morning. I would be sorry to see her leave in a couple of days but I knew she’d be back frequently.Hopefully next time with the famous Aunt Win, who I couldn’t wait to meet.
Payton wandered over to me and without a word, handed me his juice box. I took it with a raised brow. He climbed up onto my lap, leaned back against my chest, took the juice back, and sucked hard at the straw.
“Ahh.”
I chuckled and kissed his head. The juice must be satisfying. “You good, little man?”
“Yeah. Too much peopling.”
I laughed again. He’d picked up that word from Bodhi, who used it as an excuse a lot. Mostly to amuse everyone. For the most part, he had no problem with “peopling” but sometimes it got to all of us.
“Yeah. We’ve got a big family, huh?”
“Really big. I like it sometimes though. Mimi says that means there’s a lot of love.”
I squished him too me for a second, causing him toeep. “Mimi’s right. So much love. And always someone to talk to if you need it. Or give you a hug. Or watch out for you.”
Payton nodded. “Or take you to the library for more books!”
This kid, I swear. He cracked me up. “Always someone for that.”
“Hey, Crew? I forgot to ask.” He turned his head to look up at me. “How come the flag on the big pole is only halfway up?”
I blinked, kind of kicking myself for not explaining. Of course a four-year-old wouldn’t know. I adjusted us so that we could look directly at each other because this was important.
“Remember how, before breakfast, we all came outside and were really quiet for a few minutes while Bodhi raised the flag?”
He nodded slowly. “Even Juanpablo was quiet.”
Which had been a miracle in and of itself. “Right. So we did that, the silence and only raising the flag to half mast, toremember and honor the service members who gave their life in service to our country.”
His nose scrunched up. “What’s that mean?”
I held in the groan. I had a lot to learn in this parenting business. How to explain it in an age-appropriate way? I almost called for Mal, but I figured I could try and call in back up if it all went sideways.
“If you join the military, like the Army, Navy, Marines—”
“Bodhi’s a Marine! He showed me his, uh, candy. But it didn’t look like candy.”
