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Lawson took a few minutes to ready himself for bed. After brushing his teeth and stripping down to his boxer briefs, he slipped between the sheets and immediately reached for his wife. She hummed her approval, closing her journal and discarding it on her nightstand before snuggling into his side.
“Do you remember the night before your graduation?” he asked.
She smiled up at him, hooking one of her legs over his thigh.
He suddenly remembered his earlier arousal.
“Of course, I do, babe. There aren’t many memories of us in the bed of your old truck that I’ve forgotten.”
Lawson smirked down at her, then shook his head. “How did we get so lucky with Evelyn? I’ve not had to chase away any boy comin’ up my driveway in a truck with an empty bed.”
Nora laughed. “She takes after her Aunt Mitzi in that way. She’s kissed a few frogs, but she’s not ready to give away her heart. Pretty sure you’ve still got it.”
“I’ll keep it as long as she lets me.”
Reaching up to cup a hand around his scruffy cheek, Nora made sure she had his eyes before she whispered, “God, I love you.”
Rather than repeat the words back to her, Lawson leaned down and captured her mouth in a deep, long kiss. She whimpered a soft moan when he encouraged her onto her back, and that one sound was enough to make him want more—so he sought more. He made love to his wife, showing her what had been true for the last thirty years.
It had only ever been her. Always his Nora-Jean. Forever his songbird.
Evelyn
She parked her car in the familiar circle drive, now packed full of vehicles. She’d only invited a handful of friends to her graduation party, hosted at Judge and Nana’s house—but her family was huge. Besides the fact that the Steeles were Catholic, which meant she had more than a few cousins from her aunts and uncles, the Vollucci Security team was like her extended family, too. There really was no better place to throw a party with so many guests than in Judge and Nana’s backyard. And even though Evie told them they didn’t have to, her Nana and Aunt DeeDee insisted on making all the food—which was great, because Evie was starving.
She hurried out of the driver’s seat, humming the song she’d just been listening to. Impatient as she was to join her people, she took the time to smooth out the skirt of her short, floral print dress before reaching into the backseat for her graduation gown. She slipped into it, knowing her family would want more pictures with her in it. She didn’t bother with the cap, though—having had enough of that earlier.
Evie was one of the last to arrive. While almost everyone at the party had been at the ceremony, she’d stayed at the school to congratulate friends and sign a few yearbooks she hadn’t gotten around to before the last day of class. Now ready for her own celebration, she weaved her way in and out of vehicles in her wedged heels, headed for the house. She slowed her pace, smiling when she saw her mom sitting on the top stair of the front porch.
“What are you doin’ out here?”
Nora stood as Evie approached and climbed until they were on the same step.
“Waitin’ for the guest of honor.”
“Well, I’m here now!” she said excitedly.
“Wait—before you go in, I wanted to give you your gift.”
It wasn’t until she mentioned it that Evie noticed the wrapped item in her mother’s hand.
“I didn’t want to do this in front of everyone else.”
Nora held out the gift, and Evie looked down at it before carefully taking it with both hands. She studied it, then sought out her mother’s eyes, instinctively knowing whatever was inside was going to make her cry.
“Mom…”
“Open it.”
Evie nodded, took a breath, then ripped away the paper. Underneath was a leatherbound journal—one Evie had seen often in her mother’s possession over the past year. Discarding the wrapping on the ground, she carefully opened the front cover, her eyes welling with tears at what she saw written on the first page.
Songs From Home.
Evie closed her eyes and shook her head, immediately understanding why her mother didn’t want this moment to unfold in front of everyone. She hugged the songbook against her chest, acknowledging the gravity of its meaning. It wasn’t simply that her mom had written her a book of songs to remind her of home—it was a reminder that from the start of Evie’s existence, Norawasand always would be her daughter’s home.
In the beginning, they had been Bartons. It was the two of them against the world. They had a bond no one else fully understood, and Evie treasured it with her whole heart. Now, she wouldn’t trade her family or the Steele name for the world—but that, too, had been a gift her mom had made possible.
Evie opened her eyes at the feel of Nora’s fingers wiping way her tears. When she saw the same wetness mirrored in her mother’s gaze, she fell into Nora’s arms and held on tight.
