Page 235 of When Love Takes Root

Kayden leaned against the dresser, home from Hampton Heights for the weekend and already eating chips he absolutely hadn’t purchased.

“With y’all involved,” he said, “it could be both.”

JJ walked in behind him, carrying a small toolkit and an envelope tucked inside a graduation card.

“For emergencies.”

Maya smiled.

“Real emergencies,” he clarified. “Not coffee emergencies.”

She hugged the card to her chest.

“Thank you.”

Across the room, Celeste folded one of Maya’s hoodies.

She didn’t cry.

She didn’t fall apart.

She simply pressed the fabric to her face for one quiet breath, inhaled the last little pieces of girlhood she was preparing to release, and tucked it carefully into the suitcase.

I walked over without saying a word.

“Come here.”

She smiled without looking at me.

“I’m fine.”

“I didn’t ask.”

Her eyes found mine, bright but peaceful, and she stepped backward into my arms.

I wrapped one arm around her, the other settling gently beneath the babies.

From the bed, Maya groaned dramatically.

“Can y’all be adorable after my graduation? My lashes are under attack.”

Kayden pointed at her. “You cried over markers.”

“They’re professional markers.”

“They’re colors with rent.”

Celeste laughed, and I kissed the side of her neck simply because I could.

Because she was my wife. Once, she had braced herself against happiness. Now, she leaned into it.

By the time we reached the graduation venue, our family had taken over an entire row and spilled into the next one.

Mama sat with tissues folded neatly in her lap as if she believed preparation could keep her from crying. Aunt Hilary had snacks hidden inside her purse and called them medicinal. Uncle Zeke sat beside Kayden, giving him advice about posture, credit scores, and proper tire pressure while Kayden nodded like he hadn’t heard the same lecture during every break from Hampton Heights University.

Leilani held her youngest daughter while Onyx sat beside her, staring a little too long at Celeste’s belly.

She caught him without turning her head. “No.”