Harper stands there looking surprised, but then a small smile spreads over her face. “Thanks,” she says softly to Lincoln.
He gets up and shrugs. “Not a big deal. Little shit shouldn’t go around picking on anyone, but especially not Cora.”
Through all of that, Cora didn’t even really cry or look afraid. “She’s a tough little girl,” I say.
“She is,” Harper agrees. “She’s had to handle a lot from a young age. A younger age, I guess. And she’s only had me to stick up for her for a while now, so… I don’t know. It’s just nice to have other people to do it. She’s an amazing kid, and she deserves that.”
“She deserves the world,” I say. “And don’t worry. We’ve got her back the same way we have yours. We wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”
“I realize that,” Harper replies. “And I’m grateful.”
I grin at her, giving her a little nod to show I understand how much it means. “All right, now I think we were in the middle of having a good time, weren’t we? The Summer Festival isn’t over yet.”
Lincoln rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “How much Summer Festival propaganda have you guys had to listen to since you got here?” he asks.
Harper smiles, and it’s amazing how it always transforms her face to see her happy. “Not that much.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Can we stop making fun of me and go?” I interject.
Lincoln laughs a little, and he takes hold of Cora’s hand, keeping her close to him. She seems happy to hang off him, watching things around her and listening as Lincoln explains this and that in his patient way. He’s really good with her, and it’s nice to watch.
Everett never really seems to know exactly what to do or say, but he tries. I treat Cora the way I treat everyone, not wanting her to feel like she’s different. But Lincoln just seems to get her in a way that makes her open up, and I wonder how Harper feels about that.
I look at her, and she doesn’t look upset or worried. There’s a tiny smile tucked into the corners of her mouth as she watches her niece and Lincoln interact, and that’s good enough for me.
We keep moving through the festival, getting more food and drinks and watching another performance. Lincoln picks Cora up so she can watch the high school band perform, and her eyes are bright with excitement the whole time.
There’s another round of games, where Harper tries to get Lincoln to play against me.
“It’s not fair if I do,” he says, holding up his hands. “I’m so much better than he is.”
“Wow!” I shoot back, mock offended. “You beat me one time when we were like seventeen, and you never let it go.”
“It was three times, and you know it.”
“That last time didn’t count.”
Lincoln raises an eyebrow. “So you’re counting twice then? Even though you’re wrong and the last time definitely did count. I won fair and square.”
“The sun was in my eyes.”
He gives me a flat look, and Harper giggles.
“Have you always been like this?” she asks.
“Like what?” we ask back in unison. She just laughs more.
In the end, Lincoln goes up against Harper in a game and loses. I cheer triumphantly, raising Harper’s arm up in a victory pose.
“She’s my champion,” I tell Lincoln. “My honor is restored.”
“Sure,” he says. “If you need someone else to fight your battles for you.”
It’s an amazing evening, all around. One of the best festivals I’ve ever been to, and I know that has a lot to do with Harper and Cora being here with us.
I’ve never seen her laugh this much. I’ve never seen her so open and letting herself have fun. Usually you can tell there’s a million things on her mind, each one more grim than the next, and she doesn’t even let us get that close. Like her walls are always up and projecting outwards to protect her at all times.