AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll make sure they don’t kill each other,” George said with a sigh, and I wasn’t entirely sure if he was talking about the boys, or Pete and Henry.
I went to find Moira, nodding my head at the partygoers as I walked under the string lights. Moira was picking through what was left of the food, a fresh can of beer in her hand.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, kissing her on the temple.
“Hey.” She grinned, turning her head to plant a firm kiss on my lips. “I thought you were setting up the fireworks?”
“I’m not getting between Henry and Pete on the matter,” I replied, leaning down for another kiss. She smiled against my lips, tasting of the impressive cake Keely had baked for the party. “Do you want to find a place to sit and watch the show?”
She nodded, and I took her hand and led her out into the pasture, where other people had set up lawn chairs and blankets on the grass.
We sat straight on the grass, our legs outstretched. I could see Henry, Pete, and George in the distance, their bodies cloaked in shadows as they arranged the larger fireworks.
“Is that Day over there?” Moira asked, resting her hand on my thigh.
I roped an arm over her shoulder as I squinted into the dark. Three little shadows were darting through the night.
“I have a confession to make—”
A spark of light blasted through the darkness followed by squeals of delight and pure chaos as the boys lit their roman candles.
Moira hummed, playfully glaring at me.
We watched as they played, and then laughed and egged them on as they turned their attention on George, who hollered and chased after them after getting blasted by one of the Roman Candles.
“I love seeing Day like this.” Moira smiled, settling her head against my shoulder. “He’s so happy here.”
“I hope you are, too.”
She looked up at me, her eyes shimmering beneath the stars. The first firework erupted overhead, showering up in light. I leaned down to kiss her thoroughly, smiling against her lips as I pulled her into my lap.
Shouts of delight rippled over the crowd now lounging in the pasture. Smaller children toddled by, pointing chubby fingers toward the sky as I wrapped my arms around Moira and watched the show.
Henry was shouting with delight, and George was still chasing the boys, this time with his own Roman Candle.
“Mama!” Day shouted as he ran up to us some time later. He plopped down next to us, panting and rattling off about his new friends. “Can I take them inside to meet Hammy?”
“Sure,” I said, and then grunted as Day jumped on us, wrapping us both in his arms in a huge hug.
“I love you,” Day squeaked, hugging us so tightly Moira squealed, laughing as she fought to catch her breath when he finally let go and ran off.
“You gotta stop feeding him steak.” She chuckled, rubbing her arm. “He’s getting so strong.”
I shifted her weight in my lap, resting my cheek against the top of her head.
“He’ll be a bruiser as a teenager,” I replied, the vision of him and his new friends as young men drifting in and out of my mind. “We’ll get him into sports.”
“And put bars on his windows so he can’t sneak out.”
“Oh, he’ll find a way.”
I looked down at her, running my thumb over the curve of her jaw.
It wasn’t lost on me that we were talking about the future.Our future.
“Grant,” she whispered.
“Yeah?”
