Page 60 of Drift
The May sun was warm on my face as I stepped onto the stage. The dean’s voice echoed through the outdoor amphitheater, reading the name I still couldn’t believe was mine. “Alanna Lawton, Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Research.”
Cheers rose from somewhere in the crowd, cutting through the polite applause around us. I didn’t have to look to know who they belonged to.
Chance’s whistle carried above all the others, followed by the sound of Lark clapping enthusiastically beside him. My brother’s voice came next.
Their unwavering support was enough to make me grin all the way across the stage.
The diploma felt like a bigger achievement than I expected when it landed in my hand. Maybe because I’d spent the past two semesters balancing classes, new motherhood, and a life that looked nothing like the one my parents imagined for me.
It was mine. Every imperfect, beautiful piece of it.
When the last of the graduates crossed the stage, I followed the steady flow of caps and gowns toward the lawn. The RedlineKings crew was impossible to miss. Leather and ink stood out starkly against the sea of floral dresses and khakis.
Chance spotted me first. He shifted our baby girl higher on his hip, his face splitting into a smile that still had the power to steal my breath. “There’s my wife, the college graduate.”
“Mama,” Waverly chirped as she reached for me.
I took her from her daddy and kissed her belly. “That’s my brilliant girl, already calling me ‘mama’.”
“Still just sounds like babbling to me,” Jaxton teased as he ruffled my niece’s hair. “Unlike Isabella, who was saying all kinds of words when she was ten months old.”
“Sibling rivalry, extended to cousins,” Lark muttered, shaking her head.
Laughter rippled through the group, drawing curious glances from nearby families. It only made Chance’s arm tighten around my waist.
“Guess we’re used to being stared at,” I murmured, tilting my head against his shoulder.
“Let ’em look.” His voice was low and rough in that way that still made my heart skip. “You earned this.”
Our daughter squirmed, reaching for the tassel still hanging from my cap. Her chubby fingers caught it before I could stop her, and she tugged hard enough to nearly pull it off.
“Hey, little thief.” I laughed, smoothing the fine dark curls on Waverly’s head. “You’re supposed to let Mommy have at least a minute of dignity.”
Chance kissed the top of her head, then my temple. “She’s just excited. Wants everyone to know she’s got the smartest mom in the room.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” I whispered, kissing him back.
A throat cleared behind us—Jaxton, of course. “Some of us are still here, you know.”
I turned and flashed him a wicked grin. “You sure? I didn’t hear any gagging, so I thought maybe you left.”
Lark elbowed him lightly. “Don’t even start. You’re the one who cried when she handed you your niece for the first time.”
“Did not.”
“Did too,” half the group chorused in unison.
The sound of their laughter washed over me, and for a moment, I just stood there taking it all in—the family I’d chosen. The one that had chosen me back.
My parents weren’t here. There was no criticism about how far from their expectations I’d fallen. Just unconditional love.
Jaxton eventually slung an arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his side. “Proud of you, kid. Even if you did make me an uncle way too early.”
“You’ll survive.”
“Barely.”
“Stop hogging my wife,” Chance growled as he tugged me away from my brother. “We’ve got a party to get to.”
