Lila
Hampton, Virginia
“You sharing with Echo?” I tease Hadley when I catch her trying to sneak a fly in her stuffed bear’s mouth.
“Right, I get it. He’s probably starving after all the adventures you’ve had today.” I grin, and she beams back at me, proud of her clever little game.
The backyard is filled with laughter, the clink of silverware, and the soft rustling of the leaves in the warm evening breeze. The string lights above twinkle, casting a soft glow over everyone. It feels easy here, like we’ve all known each other for longer than just a few hours.
Logan sits next to me, his easygoing nature making the dinner conversation flow seamlessly. Ryan’s talking about his hometown in Texas, leaning back in his chair with a beer in hand.
“So my little brother, Tyler,” he starts, eyebrows up like everyone should already know him.
“Just finished Test Pilot School and he’s out in Arizona flying F-35s.
Basically Lockheed’s guinea pig for a while.
They’re lucky—he’s a hell of a pilot. Logan can back me up; we were all at Red Flag together.
Anyway, he and I have this little rivalry going. It’s friendly…mostly.”
“Oh my gosh, there are two of you?” Alaina quips. “Your poor mom.”
Ryan laughs. “Hell yeah. Mom loves it. Says she raised two respectable boys.”
“Does he look like you?” I ask.
Ryan’s grin turns sly. “Mostly, but I’m definitely better looking.”
We all laugh. Hadley looks around, her head tilting as she glances from Ryan to Dalton.
“Are you brothers?” she asks, pointing between them.
Dalton makes a face. “Goodness, no.” Which earns a laugh from Ryan.
“Just good friends, sweetie,” Ryan answers then turns to Dalton. “You’d be lucky to be my brother.”
Dalton rolls his eyes then turns back to Ivy. “So, Ivy, what do you do?” He takes a bite of his burger.
“I own a barre studio. It’s small, but I love it. Keeps me busy and is a…uh, welcome escape from everything else going on.” Ivy’s voice is warm, but there’s a note of something worn in her tone. She shoots me a brief look, her eyes flickering with hurt.
Dalton glances at her like he notices it too, his gaze lingering. When she meets his eyes, he quickly looks away, a slight shift in his posture, like he’s trying to act casual. I watch how the tension plays out in his body.
I glance at Logan to see if he’s seeing what I am. He meets my eyes and smiles quickly, then goes back to watching our friends.
“Sounds like a perfect fit for you,” Dalton says, his voice calm, but his eyes have a sharper edge to them now.
“It is,” Ivy agrees with a smile, but there’s a small sigh that escapes her before she catches herself.
“So where’s Hadley’s dad?” Ryan asks, oblivious to the last year that Ivy’s lived.
She sucks in a breath and Dalton tenses.
“Daddy’s in Aaah…Aah…” Hadley scrunches her sweet face. “Where is he Mama?”
“Afghanistan,” Ivy says.
“Oh yeah,” Hadley says dismissively.
Ivy turns to us. “To be honest, I have no idea, but that’s just what we’ve always said because it used to be true.”
I watch Logan, Dalton, and Ryan as understanding passes between them.
The silence that follows is brief, but everyone pauses for a second, clearly unsure how to react. Hadley, blissfully unaware of the weight of the conversation, happily dips her fries into ketchup.
“He’s a really good dad when he’s home,” Ivy continues, almost too casually. “He’s Army Special Forces, so he’s gone a lot but we’ve got a co-parenting routine that works for us.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Logan says, his voice gentle.
“It’s okay,” Ivy says, brushing it off with a small smile. “We’re figuring it out. Hadley loves having both of us around.”
Dalton is quiet during this exchange, his focus on his plate, but I catch him glancing at Ivy, his expression unreadable. It’s like he’s processing and unsure of how to react.
Ryan, sensing the shift in the mood, breaks the tension by grabbing a handful of fries and tossing one toward Dalton. “So, Everett, tell us, anything fun planned for the weekend?”
Dalton doesn’t flinch, but I can tell he’s relieved for the change in topic. “Nothing much,” he says, his tone back to its usual calm.
Hadley looks up at Dalton, her face lighting up when she offers him a fry with a glob of ketchup on it. “You want one?”
Dalton glances at her, clearly caught off guard, but he smiles softly. “Thank you, I’d love one.”
The moment feels lighter now, and everyone falls back into their easy rhythm. We continue eating, chatting, and sharing stories. Ryan keeps the mood light, sharing a story about his dad teaching him and Tyler to fish that ended in a capsized speedboat and Ryan’s very first job to pay for it.
By the time dinner winds down, the sun has set, and the conversation shifts to other things—funny mishaps at work, embarrassing childhood stories, and some harmless teasing.
Logan puts his arm around me, pulling me into his chest and dropping a kiss on my temple. I inhale deeply, taking in the near perfect moment.