Julia turned me to face the approaching crowd. “Just say ‘Thank you’ and meet the rest of our ragtag crew.”
I recognized the firefighter from two nights ago, Calder. He held the hand of a little girl, one who looked to be about eight or nine, and gave me a shy smile. Another woman followed him with a little girl on her back who had to be the first girl’s twin.
And behind them, Hayes. My throat went dry as our gazes met. He was out of uniform, clad in dark-washed denim and a t-shirt that might as well have been made for him. I forced my eyes away and back to the first group. “Hi,” I croaked.
“Hey,” Calder greeted. “It’s good to see you again.”
“You, too.” I looked at the little girl holding his hand. She ducked her head slightly. “And who’s this?”
She didn’t answer, but the little girl on the woman’s back did. “She’s Sage, and I’m Birdie. You’re Everly, right? Dad said you’re going to build a home for animals here. That’s cool.”
The smile that came was as natural as breathing. Something about the excitement of little ones. “I am. Think you’ll come visit when I’m done?”
“Duh.”
“Birdie…” Calder warned.
“I mean, yes. I’m definitely coming.”
I chuckled and extended a hand to the woman as Birdie slid off her back. “I’m Everly. You must be Calder’s wife.”
She barked out a laugh. “Oh, God, no. We’d murder each other. I’m Hadley, Hayes and Shy’s sister.”
My cheeks heated. “Sorry, I just—”
She waved me off. “No big. Birds and Sage are just my best pals. It’s really nice to finally meet you.”
“You, too.”
Hayes came to a stop in front of me. “Hey, Ev.”
Ev. It wasn’t a nickname anyone had ever called me before, yet it fell from his lips as if he’d been using it all his life. I couldn’t stop looking at his mouth, wanting him to form the single syllable again. “Hi.”
I couldn’t come up with anything else to say. I was on people and emotion overload. Hadley seemed to sense this and hooked her arm through mine. “Come on, show me where we’re getting this party started.”
I could’ve kissed her. She got me moving and gave me direction. Soon, we were all piling the debris into the dumpster. Even the girls helped by putting smaller pieces into a wheelbarrow. As we worked, I could see the dynamics of the family come into play. The way Shiloh worked away from everyone else. How Hadley and Julia butted heads more times than I could count. The way Hayes or his father always stepped in to play peacekeeper in any sort of dustup.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was more than I’d ever had. Love and care poured out of all of them—even when they fought.
Hadley climbed up the ladder on the side of the dumpster. “Here, I can take the end of that board.”
“Hads, get down. Let me do that,” Calder said as he crossed to the dumpster.
“I’m fine, Officer Safety. Just help Dad hand me that piece. I’ll tip it in.”
“You could fall.”
“So could you.”
Calder swiped his hat off his head. “I have training for this kind of thing.”
“I had ten years of gymnastics. I think my balance is better.”
A shadow moved across the ground, and I looked up to see Hayes. “Are they always like this?”
He rolled his eyes heavenward. “They fight like cats and dogs. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they would do anything for each other, but it’s a battle of wills every time they’re in the same room.”
“Hadley,” Calder growled as she did some sort of pirouette thing on the lip of the dumpster.
“Don’t mess around up there. You could hurt yourself,” Julia called.
Hadley’s expression tightened. “I guess I’ll just get down, then.” Instead of heading back for the ladder, she moved to the far end of the dumpster.
“What the hell—?”
Calder’s words cut off as Hadley hurled herself into the air, tucking neatly into a backflip. The air froze in my lungs as she rotated. She landed with a thud. But it wasn’t exactly clean, and she went from feet to butt pretty quickly, laughing.
“Are you kidding me right now?” Calder hurried over to her, but she waved him off.
“I’m fine. But I gotta work on that landing.”
Birdie rushed over. “I wanna try.”
Calder sent a look in Hadley’s direction that could’ve melted ice in Antarctica. But she wasn’t cowed. She simply got to her feet and took Birdie’s hand. “Why don’t we start with cartwheels?”
Calder’s glare didn’t leave Hadley’s back as he watched her walk away with his daughter in tow. Julia squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’ll have a word. She really shouldn’t be doing that kind of thing in front of the girls. Or at all.”
“Mom,” Hayes warned, “leave it.”
I watched as Hadley led Birdie over to a patch of grass that looked a little worse for wear. She demonstrated a cartwheel and then walked Birdie through it, spotting her as she went.
The sound of the girl’s giggle, carefree and light on the air, took me back.
“I can balance longer,” Addie said, her hair flipping upside down as she balanced on her hands.
“Nuh-uh. I can.” I kicked up into a handstand but wobbled until I fell over.
Addie collapsed next to me in a fit of giggles. “Told you.”
“I’m going again.” I kicked up harder this time, but my force was too great, and I went cascading into the fence. I cried out in pain as I crashed.
Addie rushed over. “What is it? What’d you hurt?”
I gripped my forearm. Pain sliced through it in hot waves as tears filled my eyes. “My arm.”
Mom appeared on the porch. “What’s going on, girls?”
“Evie hurt her arm,” Addie called, louder than she would’ve normally.
Mom started down the steps, hurrying across the drive. “Oh, baby girl. Show me where.”
I held up my arm, but as I lifted it, I cried out in pain.
“That’s okay. Try not to move it too much. I’m going to help you up, all right?”
I nodded, tears streaming down my face.
On the count of three, Mom helped me to my feet. The tears came faster and harder as we walked to the house. The steps groaned as we walked up them, and my mom hurried to hold the door.
“Howard,” she called as she moved inside.
“Kitchen,” my dad called back.
He turned as we made our way towards the space. “Now what’s with all the tears?” He crouched to make it to my level.
“I-I hurt my arm.”
“Let me see.”
I held out my arm for his inspection. His finger moved lightly over a scrape, but when his hand wrapped around the limb to feel for injury, I howled in pain.
Mom moved in, sweeping a hand over my head. “I think I need to take her to the emergency room.”
Dad stood instantly, his eyes flashing. “We don’t need any doctors. That’s why you have your medical training.”
“Midwife training and basic first-aid. I don’t have an x-ray machine or know how to set a broken bone.”
“No doctors. We’ve been over this, Carly. Treat her here. You have your tinctures. Wrap it and put it in a sling.”
“Howard,” she said softly. “Let me take—”