Page 138 of The Lilac River

“Language,” I said, lifting a brow. But I was already laughing.

Nash set Bertie down beside me and claimed the seat at my other side, stretching his long legs in front of him. He winked at me, just a flash of that private smile, and my heart did a whole backflip.

“Alright, Captain Bertie,” Wilder said, pretending to interview her with an imaginary microphone. “What’s your game plan?”

“First, we win,” Bertie said seriously. “Then we celebrate with ice cream.”

“You had me at ice cream,” Gunner said, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

We landed on a trivia card game. Kid-friendly, but competitive enough that the Miller boys could still trash-talk like the oversized delinquents they were.

The first question landed with my team.

“What’s the tallest mountain in the world?” I read from the card, already grinning because I knew she’d get it.

Bertie scrunched her nose and tapped her chin like a little professor. “Is it… Mount Silver Peaks?”

All three brothers went wide eyed, clearly holding back a burst of laughter.

“That’s our town, Bert,” Wilder said softly, poking her belly. “Not an actual mountain.”

“But it’s big!” she defended. “What about the hill with the statue on top?”

“That’s a monument, sweetheart,” Nash said with a chuckle, brushing her hair behind her ear.

“Bertie, you know this answer,” I prompted gently.

“Hey!” Nash protested. “She’s not on your team. No coaching.”

Bertie rolled her eyes. “So dramatic, Daddy.”

“Says you, Judy Garland,” Nash said, ruffling her hair again. “And the answer’s Everest, sweetheart.”

“Tomorrow, we’ll climb Mount Silver Peaks,” Gunner said with a wink. “Bring snacks, though. I hear it’s at least three feet tall.”

“I did know really,” Bertie huffed. “I just felt sorry for you all seeing as I’m the brightest person here.”

“Not brighter than me,” Wilder gasped. “I eat my cabbage, unlike you. And it makes my farts better.”

Bertie collapsed in giggles, snorting as she leaned into me, nearly falling off the couch.

The night unraveled in chaotic laughter and fake outrage. Wilder made stupid faces every time Gunner tried toconcentrate. Gunner insisted Bertie was the only teammate worth a damn and threatened to bench himself. Nash kept quietly whispering the correct answers to Bertie with the kind of pride that could break your heart in the best way.

At one point, when Bertie was deep in thought, I caught Nash watching me. That soft-eyed, quietly content look that never failed to stop me in my tracks. Like he still couldn’t believe I was here. Like he couldn’t believe we got this second chance.

And maybe I couldn’t either.

When Bertie finally declared herself the “World Champion of Trivia”, a title no one dared dispute, Gunner swept her up onto his shoulders and paraded her around the room while she waved her arms like royalty.

“All hail Queen Bertie!” Wilder cried, bowing so low his forehead nearly hit the carpet.

“I want ice cream now!” she declared.

“Your wish is my command, Your Majesty,” Nash said with mock formality as he bowed. “Tomorrow, after dinner you get two scoops.”

As I leaned back into the couch, surrounded by the people I loved, I realized this—this chaotic, joyful, perfectly imperfect scene was what I’d been searching for. And maybe…maybe it was just the beginning.

The room buzzed with lingering laughter even after Bertie flopped dramatically back onto the couch, her crown slipping sideways.

---