Page 119 of When Wildflowers Bloom

I laugh under my breath, backing up toward the railing, looking over my shoulder before walking down the porch steps. “You’re kind of an asshole, I don’t blame her for divorcing you.”

He grins but doesn’t make a move toward me. “If you say so, Birdie.”

His voice—words—sound easy.Soeasy.

“Hey,” I call from the middle of the yard.

He lifts his chin.

“Lock up, will ya? Apparently, this is my house now.”

He nods, lips pulling to a small smile.

We look at each other longer than makes sense before I get in my minivan, and he turns to lock the door then jogs to his Jeep.

I let out a breath—one that I’ve possibly been holding for weeks—and try to make sense of what he’s said.

Mandy is gone. Bo is divorced. He doesn’t blame me.

Three simple truths that flip my reality.

I take out my phone, pull up Libby’s name, and write,Hey, sorry for the vanishing act. Yoga soon?

Her response is instant.Thank God you wrote, I was going to send John over to your house to do a wellness check soon. Tell me when and I’ll be there. Xo

For the first time since Veda died, I realize I’m smiling.

Forty-nine

“I wonder if Huck’snervous,” I whisper, looking down at him before pushing open the heavy doors of the courthouse.

He shakes his head. “Huck can’t wait to live with you and George Strait,” he shouts. Even though I’m nervous as hell, I laugh as I squeeze his hand.

With Huck in his red bow tie and me in a pair of navy dress pants and a bright red shirt, with my hair pinned back, hand in hand, we step into the courtroom at 8:50A.M..

When the doors open, I freeze.

The room is full. Grabbing the handle of the door, I crane my neck to double-check the number on the outside. This is it, but it can’t be right. The only people we’re expecting are my dad and Sharon. Do strangers sit in on these things? Seems, well, strange.

“Birdie, look at all the people!” Huck shouts, turning all the heads to face us.

And that’s when I see—they aren’t strangers. The courtroom is filled with people I know.

Monica—Monica?—sees me first and jumps from her seat. “Today is your day, girl!” She hugs me. “This is my husband, Roger, and our three kids, Natalia, Indigo, and Raven.”

I shake their hands, staring at her, stunned. “How did you even know about this?”

She chuckles with a playful slap on my arm. “Birdie, how do you think?” Her eyes drop to Huck. “And you must be Huck!”

His eyes widen as he steps behind me, gripping my hand tight.

She smiles at him, gives me a wink, then takes her seat next to her family.

I keep walking.

Then Sam—with one of his sons? “Sam?” I ask, shaking his son’s hand whom I haven’t seen since I started working for him.

“Bah.” He swats a hand through the air. “Don’t get full of yourself, you still ain’t got no tits, Bonnie.” When I laugh, he smiles, and I don’t miss the fact that he has his hearing aids in.

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