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“Sounds good.”
He waited as Misha put what she wanted in it, then went to check if Charli wanted to add anything. Soon, they were making their way across the green space to the shelter. Layla ran on ahead, while Charli and Janessa followed behind them with Denise and Ciara. Misha was pushing the stroller as Jay carried Charli’s cooler since it was too big to fit in the stroller.
Janessa’s anger seemed to have eased a bit since she’d found out that he and Misha were back together, but their relationship still hadn’t healed completely. But at least it didn’t feel like she was glaring daggers into his back as he walked in front of her.
“Is Kayleigh coming?” Skylar asked when they reached the shelter.
“She went home,” Charli said. “She’s had a bit of a week. I think she’s going to spend the afternoon holed up with a good book or maybe just napping.”
Skylar frowned. “Bummer.”
Jay wasn’t surprised by his sister’s decision. Kayleigh could be fairly high-strung, especially where her work was concerned. So if her week had been more stressful than usual, it wasn’t surprising that she would try to recoup before the next week.
“Mom and Dad are here,” Janessa said a few minutes after Gareth and Aria had arrived, walking hand in hand across the grass.
Jay turned to look at the road. “I’ll go see if they need help.” He gave Misha a smile, then jogged back to the road again.
When he reached them, his mom gave him a hug, then his dad handed over another cooler. Jay had no doubt they were all going to eat well, even if it was a picnic.
Will still hadn’t appeared by the time all the food was laid out, and Jay was beginning to think he might not show at all. Though Will had previously shown up to any Halverson gathering that he was invited to, that wasn’t the case any longer. Since his breakup, his attendance at their family gatherings was more sporadic.
When his dad called for them to gather around for prayer before they ate, Jay took Misha’s hand and rested his other hand on Peyton’s shoulder. Standing between the son he loved and the woman who held his heart, Jay bowed his head, listening as his dad said a prayer for the food and for the members of the family not present.
Jay was grateful that even though he’d messed up terribly—both in the past and more recently—his family hadn’t forsaken him. The experiences had definitely proved to him that his parents and siblings would stick by him through the ups and downs in his life. And he’d do the same for any of them.
He hoped that his birth mom would have still been proud of him, despite the mistakes he’d made. Having only a nine-year-old’s memory and perception of his mom and the promises he’d made to her, it was difficult to accept that she would have been. However, as a man, he was trying to believe that her lovefor him would have meant she would have reacted the way the Halversons had.
Once the prayer was over, Jay helped Peyton fill a plate with food. There was a ton of choice. A variety of chips. Everything to make a sandwich. Potato salad. Veggies and dip. Pickles. Deviled eggs. His family always had lots of food, and now, with Denise around, there was even more.
The next few minutes were filled with people getting their food, then finding seats at the picnic tables scattered around the shelter. Misha settled herself and Ciara at the table where Peyton and Layla were sitting.
Jay joined her there a couple of minutes later. “Did you want a drink?”
“Oh, that would be great.”
After she told him what she wanted, he went to grab drinks for both of them. He paused when he spotted Will making his way to the shelter. He detoured and walked to meet the man.
“Hey,” he said as he approached Will, holding out his hand for a fist bump. “Glad you could make it.”
“I brought brownies.”
“Janessa will love you.”
Will gave a humorless laugh. “I doubt that.”
“Yeah. You and I are still in the doghouse.”
“Your sister holds a grudge like nobody’s business,” Will told him.
“Honestly, I had no idea she had the capability of holding onto her anger for this long. I’m starting to get a little annoyed with her, to be honest.”
“I would say she can’t stay mad forever, but I’m not so sure about that anymore.”
“Yeah, me either,” Jay said. “I’m just glad you decided to brave her anger and spend the afternoon with us.”
People greeted Will as they walked into the shelter, and while his friend went to get food, Jay went to the drink cooler and grabbed a couple of cans for him and Misha. Back at the table, he found Misha feeding Ciara, who was now buckled into her stroller.
Jay swung his leg over the bench and sat down beside Misha, setting her drink next to her plate. “Everything okay, Peyton?”
