(Ridge)
The yard came back to life the second I stepped back from her.
Music started somewhere. Knox said something loud that made people laugh. Harlow was still crying and trying to pretend she wasn't. Dane handed me something and I took it without looking at what it was.
Mira was smiling.
Not the careful kind she used to have. The real one. The one that took over her whole face when she wasn't thinking about holding anything back.
I kept my hand at her back and we turned toward everyone together.
Mom was already on her feet. Dad beside her with his hand on her shoulder watching everything with that quiet steady presence he always had. Mom was saying something to Cassidy. Cassidy was nodding.
The compound was loud and full and exactly what it was supposed to be on a day like this.
