“Please,” Alicia says, smiling warmly. And Linda beams, as if gratitude itself has taken human form in her daughter-in-law-to-be.
Not yet, I remind myself.
But maybe not far.
I straighten a dish towel on the counter—an excuse to be near Alicia as she moves around the room. When she reaches for the mug, I slide it closer to her before she can stretch.
Her fingertips brush mine.
It’s nothing.
It’s also everything.
She looks up, wonder in her eyes, like she’s still adjusting to being wanted without conditions.
“You good?” I murmur.
“Better than good,” she says quietly. “You?”
“Never been better.”
And it’s true.
I didn’t know I needed this—the house humming with life, family gathered around the table, the sleepy rhythm of a holiday. I didn’t know I missed it until she stepped into the space beside me and made it feel like home again.
Linda dusts flour from her hands. “Stella is such a sweetheart,” she says. “And so respectful. You’re doing a wonderful job, Alicia.”
Alicia’s lashes flutter, embarrassment softening her features. “Thank you. She’s…she’s my whole world.”
My father clears his throat from the doorway. “She’s a great kid,” he says. “And she’s lucky to have you both.”
Alicia looks at me. I look at her.
We both feel it—the shift.
My father doesn’t say things lightly.
He doesn’t accept—or approve—easily either.
I clear my throat, unexpectedly moved. “Thanks, Dad.”
He nods once, then turns back to his cider. But I catch the slight smile before he hides it. Good enough. Better than good enough.
Dinner smells begin to bloom—rosemary, thyme, roasted vegetables. Stella laughs in the living room, and Linda returns to her pie, humming one of those wordless melodies she’s always carried.
And somewhere in all that noise and warmth, I feel Alicia’s fingers thread through mine.
She initiates it. She holds on.
Just that simple gesture—the quiet claim of it—lands somewhere deep.
But I know.
And she knows.
Her body leans slightly into mine. She lowers her voice so only I can hear. “This feels…natural.”
I press a kiss to her temple, brief and certain. “Because it is.”