Chapter 34 Axel #2
My mother, never one to let a moment pass without action, swoops in with the cake knife. "Who wants the first piece?"
The spell breaks as everyone clamors for cake, the room dissolving back into cheerful chaos. Poppy, now in my cousin Rachel's arms, is eyeing the cake with undisguised interest.
"I should rescue her before she face-plants."
I push through the crowd, intent on retrieving Poppy before she can get her tiny hands on that cake. As I approach, Rachel catches my eye and grins.
"She's got your sweet tooth," she says, adjusting her grip as Poppy leans dangerously toward the dessert table.
"Among other things," I reply, scooping my daughter into my arms. "Come on, Bug. Let's get you some actual food before the sugar."
As I turn back toward Sadie, I notice something that makes me pause.
Rowan is standing slightly apart from the festivities, her back against the wall, watching everything with guarded eyes.
She's smiling, but it's the smile of someone who's observing rather than participating, the same careful distance I've noticed in Sadie when she feels overwhelmed.
Mom notices too. Nothing escapes her radar when it comes to people feeling left out at her gatherings. She hands a slice of cake to Aunt Linda and makes a beeline for Rowan.
"You're too quiet over here," Mom says, linking her arm through Rowan's. "Come meet everyone properly."
I see Rowan stiffen slightly, that protective wall coming up. "Oh, I'm fine watching. This is Sadie's moment."
"Nonsense," Mom dismisses with a wave of her hand. "You're family too."
Rowan's eyes widen slightly at the casual inclusion. "That's very kind, but—"
"No buts," Mom interrupts, already pulling her toward the cluster of Slade women by the fireplace. "Adrienne was just telling us about her disaster date with that lawyer. You'll love this story."
I watch with amusement as Rowan is absorbed into the circle, her body language screaming reluctance even as she allows herself to be led. Aunt Martha immediately presses a plate of food into her hands, while Aunt Linda starts asking questions about her job in Denver.
Poppy squirms in my arms, pointing toward her aunt. "Ro-Ro!"
"Yeah, they've got Ro-Ro cornered," I tell her, adjusting her on my hip. "Should we go rescue her?"
But as I move closer, I notice something shifting in Rowan's stance. The rigid set of her shoulders relaxes slightly. She answers a question from my sister, then actually laughs at whatever Adrienne says in response.
Sadie appears at my side, her eyes on her sister. "Is Rowan okay? Your family can be… intense."
"She's holding her own," I assure her. "Watch."
As if on cue, Aunt Martha says something that makes Rowan's eyebrows shoot up.
"I absolutely did not," Rowan protests, though there's a hint of humor in her voice. "Sadie was the one who put frogs in the neighbor's mailbox."
"Throwing me under the bus already?" Sadie calls out, drawing everyone's attention.
Rowan grins, some of that careful guardedness falling away. "Just setting the record straight. I was the good child."
"Good at not getting caught, maybe," Sadie retorts, and the room erupts in laughter.
I watch as the sisters exchange a look across the crowded space, something private and meaningful passing between them. It's a look that says more than words could: We made it. We're safe. We belong somewhere.
The moment is broken when Adrienne slings an arm around Rowan's shoulders. "So Rowan, Sadie won't tell us the dirt on Axel. What's he really like as a future brother-in-law?"
"Stubborn," Rowan answers promptly. "Thinks he knows everything. Completely whipped by my niece."
"Hey!" I protest, but I'm laughing too.
"Oh, he comes by that honestly," Mom chimes in. "Slade men are all the same. Think they're in charge until a baby girl comes along—then they're putty."
Rowan's smile turns genuine, her guard lowering further. "I've noticed that. Poppy has him wrapped around her little finger."
"And her aunt too, from what I can see," Aunt Linda observes shrewdly.
Rowan doesn't deny it. "She's special."
"So are you," Mom says with that direct sincerity that's impossible to deflect. "Both of you girls are. We're just glad you found your way to us."
I watch something complicated pass over Rowan's face, surprise, suspicion, and then a tentative acceptance.
She's been Sadie's protector for so long, always on guard, always ready to fight.
It can't be easy to suddenly find herself included in the circle of safety she's worked so hard to create for her sister.
"Thank you," she says finally, the words coming out a little rough. "For welcoming Sadie and Poppy. For giving them this."
"And you," Adrienne insists, squeezing Rowan's shoulder. "You're part of the package deal."
"God help me," Rowan mutters, but there's no bite to it.
Aunt Martha leans in conspiratorially. "Now tell us, who's the handsome man you were talking to at the brewery opening last month? Tall fellow, beard, couldn't take his eyes off you."
"Martha!" Mom scolds, but her eyes are twinkling.
Rowan's face flushes crimson. "That was just… He's nobody. We were just talking about beer."
"Mm-hmm," Aunt Martha hums skeptically. "That's not what Adrienne told us."
Rowan shoots a betrayed look at Adrienne, who just shrugs unapologetically. "What? You two had chemistry. And he was cute."
"He's one of my distributors," I explain, taking pity on Rowan. "Ryan's a good guy."
"And single," Adrienne adds helpfully.
"Oh my God," Rowan groans, covering her face with one hand. "Are you seriously trying to set me up right now?"
"Welcome to the family, honey," Aunt Linda says, patting her arm sympathetically. "No one's love life is safe around these women."
To everyone's surprise, perhaps most of all her own, Rowan bursts out laughing. Not her usual controlled chuckle, but a genuine, full-bodied laugh that lights up her entire face.
"What's so funny?" Sadie asks, moving closer to her sister.
"Just realizing," Rowan manages between laughs, "that I've spent all this time protecting us from danger—and now I need protection from well-meaning matchmakers."
The room fills with laughter, and I watch as the last of Rowan's defenses crumble. Sadie slips an arm around her sister's waist, leaning into her side.
"We did it," I hear Sadie whisper to her. "We found home."
Rowan's eyes shine suspiciously bright as she looks around the room, at my family, at Poppy in my arms, at the genuine acceptance surrounding them.
"Yeah," she agrees softly. "We did."
I look up to find Aiden smiling at me. He raises his beer bottle in a silent toast. He understands what I'm seeing, the healing happening right before our eyes.
Not just for Sadie, but for Rowan too. For both sisters who've spent too long running, too long fighting, too long protecting each other from a world that seemed determined to hurt them.
Poppy chooses that moment to loudly announce, "Cake!" which breaks the emotional tension perfectly.
"Yes, princess." I laugh, kissing her curls. "Cake time."
As everyone gravitates toward the dessert table, I make my way to Sadie and Rowan, Poppy bouncing excitedly in my arms.
"Surviving?" I ask Rowan with a smile.
"Barely," she replies, but her expression is lighter than I've ever seen it. "Your family is a force of nature."
"They mean well," I say, passing Poppy to Sadie. "And they're your family now too. For better or worse."
"Mostly better," Sadie says, settling Poppy on her hip. "Right?"
Rowan looks around the room, at my mother cutting generous slices of cake, at my aunts arguing good-naturedly over who gets the corner piece, at Adrienne showing my cousins something on her phone that has them all laughing.
"Yeah," she admits, a genuine smile spreading across her face. "Mostly better."
I'm reaching for a slice of cake when I notice my brother has detached himself from the wall where he's been observing. Aiden moves through the crowd with that quiet confidence that's always come naturally to him, heading straight for the one person who hasn't met him yet.
"Shit," I mutter under my breath, earning a raised eyebrow from Sadie.
"What?"
I nod toward Aiden's approaching figure. "This should be interesting."
Rowan is still laughing at something Adrienne said when Aiden steps into their circle, extending his hand.
"I don't think we've been properly introduced," he says, his voice carrying that slight Texas drawl he's picked up. "Aiden Slade."
Rowan's smile dims slightly as she takes his hand. "Rowan Calloway."
"Sadie's sister," Aiden says, not a question. "Co-owner of Pike's Perk, right?"
"That's right." Her tone is coolly professional, the same voice she uses with suppliers who try to shortchange the café. "In Virginia Dale."
I suppress a smile. Classic Rowan, establishing her territory immediately. Beside me, Sadie shifts Poppy to her other hip, watching the interaction with curious eyes.
"I've heard good things about your coffee," Aiden says, his hand lingering on hers a beat longer than necessary. "Looking forward to trying it now that I'm back."
Rowan withdraws her hand, crossing her arms. "We're pretty particular about our beans. Not everyone appreciates the difference."
Oh damn. I've seen that look before, Rowan's sizing-him-up expression, the one that says she's not automatically impressed by the Slade name or looks.
But Aiden doesn't retreat. Instead, his mouth curves into that lazy half smile that's gotten him out of trouble his entire life. "I'm a quick study. And I know quality when I see it."
The double meaning isn't lost on anyone, least of all Rowan, whose eyebrows arch dangerously high.
"Is that so?" She takes a deliberate sip of her drink. "Well, feel free to stop by. We can always use the business."
I nearly choke on my cake. Beside me, Sadie makes a small sound that might be a suppressed laugh.