Page 60 of Unraveling Rain
He heads to a cooler, grabs a beer, and points it in my direction. I shake my head.
“Hey, Gio. Catch,” he shouts.
Gio, still adjusting the canopy over the playpen, catches the can one-handed without missing a beat. Before opening it, he glances over at Ruin. She turns instantly, like she felt his gaze. He raises an eyebrow. She smiles and sets aside the flower crown she’s been working on, then walks over to him.
“Yes, Blue. Of course you can drink,” she says, teasing him as she kisses his cheek. I’ll drive us home.”
He steals another kiss before she returns to the table, where Rain now wears the finished flower crown. I wonder if there’s meaning behind it.
When Rain turns to me, it’s like the world stops.
Her hair tumbles in soft waves, catching the sunlight as it dances with the wind. The flower crown, threaded with white, pink, red, and yellow blooms, makes her freckles glow and her eyes shine.
Her smile is everything.
“How do I look?” she asks.
“Stunning,” I breathe.
She tilts her head. “Are you okay?”
“I’m excellent. It’s a beautiful evening, and the prettiest girl in the garden is with me.”
She rolls her eyes but smiles anyway, handing me a cold water and grabbing a beer for herself.
“Do you all wear flower crowns for St. John’s?” I ask.
“It’s more for the beginning of summer, but yes. It’s a family tradition,” she explains, and an image forms in my head. A tiny red-haired baby with big brown eyes wearing a flower crown.
Rain and I will make the most beautiful kids on Earth.
“Everyone, come help bring the food to the big table,” Granny calls from the kitchen.
Everyone springs into action. River is first to the porch, followed by Miles, Gio, Ruin, and Rain.
I frown. Do we need this many hands to bring stuff out? How much food can there possibly be?
When I enter the kitchen, I realize Rain wasn’t kidding about the feast. Every surface is covered—meats, chicken, potatoes, corn, mac and cheese, corn bread, three kinds of salads, and fruit and dessert trays, including our pies.
By the time it’s my turn, most of it’s already outside. Granny hands me plates and silverware, hooks her arm through mine, and we carry everything out together.
“Everyone, let’s fill our plates so we can give thanks,” she calls.
Rain pulls me to stand by her. I kiss her cheek, and her lashes flutter. It’s nice to see I have the same effect on her that she has on me.
We sit with Gio and Ruin while the rest of the family gathers at the next table. The babies babble happily nearby.
Granny stands. “Today we celebrate St. John’s Day and the beginning of the summer—a time to let go of darkness and welcome the light. Tonight, as we eat this amazing meal prepared by the blessed hands in this family, we give thanks for everything we have and everything that we will receive.”
A brief silence follows. Then Joss says, “Okay, everybody. Dig in.”
The noise of silverware clinking with the porcelain plates and the hum of conversations are the perfect soundtrack as we eat.
“How did you end up here in the mountains?” I ask Gio, who’s sitting across from me.
He smirks at Ruin. “I came here to attend Wolff University in Raleigh for my Ph.D.—that was always my dream. I wanted to come to school in the US and, hopefully, become a researcher or professor. I wasn’t clear on my path at the time. Then one day, while working as a teaching assistant in a lab, I met the most gorgeous redhead I’ve seen in my life, and right then I knew I had to date her.”
Ruin turns beet red as Gio kisses her temple.
