27. KORIE
KORIE
The lake water is freezing. That’s not an exaggeration. Not a little cold. Not refreshing. Freezing.
My teeth chatter as I hit the surface with a strangled yell and immediately regret every decision that led me here while Holden cackles from the rope swing platform above me.
“You forgot to yell like Tarzan!” he says.
“Oh my god!” I sputter, wiping water off my face. “You absolute asshole!”
“You said it looked fun!”
“It did from land!”
Laura’s laugh carries across the shoreline where she’s sitting in a folding chair beside Vicky, both of them watching the chaos like this happens every year. Which, honestly, it does. I’ve lost count of how many times Holden and I have jumped off the platform. I complain every time.
“It builds character!” Holden shouts.
“You know what else builds character? Therapy! You should try it sometime.”
Derrick nearly falls over laughing at that, while Chris doubles over beside the cooler. Trista is trying to record the whole thing on her phone, which means this humiliation is now permanent family history.
Great.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Holden launches himself off the rope swing before I can climb out and throttle him. He lets go with a dramatic yell, cannonballing directly beside me. Lake water slams into my face.
I choke. “I hate you!”
“No, you don’t,” he says immediately, grinning.
Unfortunately, he’s correct.
He’s dripping wet, hair flattened to his forehead, smile bright and easy in the late afternoon sun. Something warm unfurls in my chest so fast it almost hurts.
God, I love him.
Holden splashes me again.
Never mind. Maybe I’ll kill him a little.
I swim over to him, crawl onto his back with my arms around his shoulders, and pull him back under the surface. We wrestle and toss each other around until we come up for air. It’s been this way since we could walk.
The afternoon settles into the kind of chaos only our families can create.
Andrew starts a volleyball game that devolves into cheating accusations within ten minutes.
Ezra claims Holden crossed a line that absolutely does not exist. Chris insists he saw the foul too, despite actively facing the wrong direction at the time.
Vicky keeps threatening to confiscate the ball like we’re all twelve.
Meanwhile, I end up sitting cross-legged on a blanket with Trista’s girls, teaching them more yo-yo tricks.
“You’re getting good at that,” I say to Macy, who is walking the dog for the third or fourth time.
She sits up a little straighter.
I take the toy and show her a more advanced trick. “I didn’t master this one until I was in college,” I say.
Macy studies my hands closely, positioning hers the same way, as if imagining herself doing each step. I have zero doubt she’ll master it before the end of the year.
“Here. Try it.”
Jocelyn cuddles against my chest, twirling a wildflower and beaming like I personally hung the moon. I kiss her head.
Holden drops down beside us, shirtless and warm from an hour of volleyball. He reaches for the plate balanced near me, already stacked stupidly high with burgers and chips.
I gasp when he steals one burger. “You’ve had three of those already,” I tell him.
“So? I’m growing.”
“You’re twenty-seven.”
“About to be twenty-eight. Time is precious.” He takes another huge bite and immediately drops mustard directly onto his bare chest.
The girls shriek with laughter.
I stare at him.
Holden looks down at himself. “Oops.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
“You still want me though.”
Unfortunately, again, correct.
He wipes the mustard with his thumb and licks it off with absolutely no shame while the girls giggle themselves breathless.
Everything around us feels loud and alive and warm, and I’m completely settled into it. Enjoying it. Safe. I didn’t realize how badly I needed this until now.
Needed them.
All of them.
Especially him.
I cover Holden’s hand and squeeze. He smiles at me.
Later, while dinner winds down and the sky deepens into streaks of orange and purple, Holden drops into the chair beside me and nudges my knee.
“It’s weird without Caleb here,” he says casually.
“I was just thinking that a little bit ago. I miss Isaiah and Corbin too.” My two brothers are currently working on the other side of the country.
Holden sighs. “I still wanna go see Caleb sometime this month.”
My head snaps toward him instantly. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Holden blinks. “Yeah?”
“Obviously. He’s your brother.”
His entire face lights up. Not excitement exactly. Relief. Like he’d hoped I’d say yes but hadn’t wanted to push.
Something twists in my chest at that realization. He was going to give me time. But I don’t need it for things like this. Family has always been important to me. They’ve been my safe place my entire life, and Caleb is a part of that. Of course I want to see him.
Besides, another road trip with Holden? Yes, please. We usually end up doing stupid things and spending way too much money, but we always have a blast.
“Cool.” Holden reaches out for my hand, and I take it instantly. His smile lingers for the next hour.
By the time darkness settles fully over camp, the fire’s crackling high enough to throw sparks into the night sky.
The littlest kids are running around near the edge of the trees with little bug nets, chasing moths and whatever other poor creatures they can find under lantern light. Their shrieks echo through the campground every few seconds.
Andrew disappears briefly, then returns carrying the old stereo. The thing barely works anymore—one speaker crackles, the antenna’s bent, and half the buttons stick. But the second the music starts drifting softly through camp, the atmosphere changes. My stomach flips.
Oh.
Right.
I glance up automatically.
Across the firelight, Holden’s already looking at me, like he had the exact same realization. He grins instantly.
Butterflies explode low in my stomach.
For years, couples in our families have danced by firelight during the campout. People sway near the fire, talking low while kids play nearby. It’s even how Derrick proposed to Laura nearly fifteen years ago.
Everyone moves slow, filling the space around the fire. Trista and Chris lean in, eyes closed and arms loose around each other. Laura leans against Derrick’s shoulder, smiling. Our parents sway too, grinning proud.
I squirm when Holden gets up from his seat, heat rushing to my cheeks. He walks around the fire toward me, eyes warm and impossibly soft in the flickering orange light. After a brief pause, he holds out his hand.
“Dance with me.”
I don’t even pretend to hesitate.
We walk toward the fire. The second I step into him, his arms slide around my waist automatically, pulling me close. Mine settle around his neck as we sway slowly. I can feel people watching, but I don’t care.
Neither does he.
Holden presses his forehead lightly against mine, smiling a little when I laugh under my breath. “What?”
“You’re very smug right now,” I say.
“Mmm. Well, I’ve earned it.”
“Have you?”
“Korie,” he says patiently, “you agreed to a future road trip and proudly called me your boyfriend all in one day. I’m thriving.”
I snort softly, but my attention drifts past his shoulder toward the kids running through the dark with their nets. One of the little girls is sitting on Ezra’s shoulders now, pointing excitedly at something in the trees.
And suddenly I remember that moment at Trista’s house. The image that hit me out of nowhere—Holden with a toddler in his lap, and the overwhelming feeling that came with it. It knocked the air from my lungs then just as hard as it does now.
Only now it lands differently. It’s no longer impossible or terrifying—okay, maybe a little. But it’s also insanely beautiful.
The idea grows, expanding into something else. Something even bigger. Warmth blooms through my chest and I catch myself smiling. I can see it all, only clearer. Not specifics—but enough.
Us, years from now.
Still dancing in firelight.
Still laughing.
Still building this loud, messy, incredible life together. And making the kind of memories our families gave us.
Joy swells so fast inside me it almost hurts.
“Tell me something,” I say quietly.
“Hmm?”
I hesitate, nerves fluttering low in my stomach. I don’t know why I’m asking this now, except that suddenly I need to know.
“When you say you hate kids every summer…” I glance down briefly before forcing myself to continue. “Is it an… all-encompassing hate? Like you never want to be a father?” I wet my lips. “Or is there maybe room in that big heart of yours for a few of our own someday?”
Holden goes completely still.
I look up nervously and find him staring at me like the world just tilted sideways.
“For real?” he asks.
I shrug, suddenly shy. “Not anytime soon. It’s just… something I’ve wondered and—”
I don’t get to finish.
Holden makes a strangled sound and yanks me against him so fast I laugh as my feet leave the ground for a second.
“Hell yes,” he blurts.
I blink at him. “Wait. Really? Just like that?”
“You kidding?” Holden laughs, still holding me tight. “Of course.” His expression softens immediately. “We had the best childhood, Kor. I’d love to give that to someone else too.”
Emotion catches painfully in my throat.
Holden kisses me quick and warm before resting his forehead against mine again.
“And you’d be a great parent,” he says softly. “Way more patient than me.”
I snort. “Chaotic is what I think you mean.”
He cups my face gently. “I’m serious. I think you’d be great.” His smile turns softer somehow. More certain. “And I want that. Someday.”
My heart feels too full for my chest. “No rush though. Seriously. I wanna enjoy this for a long, long time before we’re physically responsible for another human’s life.”
Holden bursts out laughing. “Agreed. No rush.”
“Good.”
“Very good.”
He pulls me back into him as the music crackles softly through the old stereo. Around us, our families laugh and talk and chase kids through the dark. And for the first time in my life, the future doesn’t feel terrifying.
It feels beautiful.