“Holy Sh–”
“Watch your language,” Luke mumbles, reminding the boys to keep it at least PG-13 around my family.
Kidd’s around my age, rugged, but with a boyish charm. “Right,” he covers his mouth. “My bad. Anna, this is impressive!”
“Thanks but the impressive chefs are my mom and grandma,” I say, setting more heavyweight paper plates at the end of the long table.
“Remind me their names?” he asks me quietly.
“My dad is Sung-jin,” I begin. Kidd repeats and I nod. “My mom is Myung-hee but call her Myung.” He repeats the pronunciation. “And grandma is Bong-cha.”
That one takes him a couple tries but he gets it.
“Awesome. Got it. Now, where in the world do I start here?” he asks about the endless options.
“You were okay with the spice level from the other night?” I ask.
“Taste buds of steal. Loved it. Spice me up, ma’am.”
“Are you flirting with my girl?” Luke growls from across the table.
“Never, boss. I value my balls.”
I shake my head and start pointing at the dishes. “Tteokbokki, Tteok which are rice cakes, Galbi, Japchae, Spicy Pork,” I point down the line.
“Calamari Salad, Seafood Pancake, Mandu, this side is vegetable and these are Kimchi. Then that’s the Pineapple Ham, Crab Omelets, Spicy Green Onion Salad, Homemade Kimchi, Fried Fish.”
I laugh as Kidd’s eyes get bigger and bigger. “This is a four cheese mac, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes and sweet potato casserole. The turkey will be ready closer to dinner time.”
Silence.
“Um,” Kidd laughs. “When you said to prepare our bellies to eat all day, I did not expect this scale of food.”
“The Kim family doesn’t do anything halfway. Food is love in our culture. Hence, it’s an all day event. So pace yourself.”
I pat his back and great the other ranchers coming in and going through the same line up explanation. Soon, the house is full, everyone has plates, Mom and I pass out drinks, and grandma is still going in the kitchen, refusing to let me help.
Translation: You’ll mess the food up. Let me make everything the right way.
Luke’s arms wrap around me from behind. I lean into his strength, embracing this happy I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams.
“How is this my life right now?” I ask.
His lips touch the top of my hair. “Our life. Luckiest bastard alive right here, with you in my arms.”
I turn and hold him to me, looking up at the lightness he carries behind his eyes now. His family history is dark and it’s been a tough road but together, we’ve carried each other through many darker nights. By morning, the shadows always recede and our love shields us. I’ve never felt more secure of my future.
No matter what life brings our way, we’ll overcome. Together.
I look around at my family, old and new. Mom feeds dad fried fish and they laugh. Gabe holds a glass of whiskey, chatting with the ranch hands while he holds Madison around the waist with his free arm.
Madi’s gaze finds mine from across the room. She raises her glass, nods, and winks.
I smile back knowing what she’s saying with that one gesture.
Look at us, living our best lives with hot men and family to spare.
What brought me here was traumatic but it also came with a reward on the other side. Luke. Wild Peak. The real me.
I am truly in every way, finally home.
