I had watched Flame call Asher over to sit with him. And I had watched as his back had tensed, and he muddled through a conversation. As I watched, my heart swelled with happiness.
“I like this look on you, Maddie.” I glanced to my left and looked up to Mae. Her blue eyes were shining as I took hold of her hand.
“For once, in my whole life, I like being me.”
“Because of Flame?” Mae asked.
I thought about her question. “Mostly, yes. He has brought me to life. But through him, I feel more at peace with myself. Does that make sense?”
Mae’s hands spread over her slightly rounded stomach, and she replied, “I know exactly what you mean.”
I tipped my head up at the sky, and embracing its vastness, said, “I never thought of myself as a strong person. But it is amazing how much strength you discover you have deep inside, when someone you love depends on you to be their rock, when they find themselves weak. How much courage you can muster, when the one you love relies on you to keep him from falling to the ground. And how much happiness can be harbored within your soul, when you allow someone into your heart.”
“Maddie,” Mae hushed, “I understand completely.”
I smiled at my sister. “You will make a fantastic mother, Mae.”
Mae’s smile faltered, and her head dropped slightly. “Do you think so?” she asked nervously. “We never had one, Maddie. How am I to know how to be a good mother?”
I squeezed Mae’s hand. “You may not have had a mother, but I have.”
Mae frowned. “You did not, Maddie. You were like me, and Bella. We never knew our parents.”
“I did,” I countered. Mae shook her head in protest. But I cut in and pronounced, “I had you.”
Mae’s lips parted in shock, and she whispered, “Maddie.”
“You will be the best of mothers, Mae. Because you and Bella showered me with an abundance of love. I did not know how to express my emotions back then, nor could I tell or show you how much you meant to me. But I see it now.”
A tear fell slowly down Mae’s cheek, and she asked, “But you have found your path now?”
“Yes,” I replied, seeing Flame walking toward me, Asher by his side. “I absolutely have.”
Flame reached where we were sitting. I stood up and stretched out my hand. He gladly took it, and I could see the tension at being away from me, disappear instantly.
Asher stood awkwardly at his side, and I cast him a smile. “Hello, Asher.”
“It’s Little Ash,” Flame corrected abruptly. As I viewed his face, I understood why.
“My apologies. Little Ash,” I corrected.
“I’m good, thank you,” Little Ash shyly replied.
Flame’s head then snapped up at a young Hangman passing by. “You!” he shouted. The young man froze on the spot. His brown eyes bulged as they caught sight of Flame. “Get the fuck here,” Flame ordered.
Smiler rose from his chair across the yard and came over. “Yo, Flame. What you want with my cousin?”
Flame stared down at the young man and he demanded, “Name?”
“Slash. I’m the new prospect,” the young man replied rather nervously.
“How fucking old are you?”
The young man rocked on his feet. “Eighteen.”
Flame pointed at Little Ash. “This is Little Ash. You’re gonna show him around. You’re gonna fucking look out for him. You’re both the youngest here, and that’s how it’s gonna be.”
Slash turned to Little Ash and nodded his head. “You wanna come with, man? I can show you around.”
Little Ash nodded his head in reply, and began to follow Slash, hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans. Smiler shook his head at Flame and went back to the other men. Then Flame shouted. “Slash?”
Slash turned and Flame pointed straight at Little Ash. “He’s my little brother. Hurt him and I’ll slit your fucking throat.”