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“A Harley,” I chimed in. I turned to Graham. “Are you going to take me for a ride sometime?”
“You mean he hasn’t taken you for a ride yet?” Little Grandma asked as she raised her eyebrow. I blushed, as Auntie Gladiola howled with laughter. Graham’s eyes twinkled.
“I’ll take you on a ride on my Harley whenever you ask, Doll.”
“The boys loved their quilts,” Piper told Miss Laverne. “They’re beautiful. They will be passing them down to their sons one day.”
Miss Laverne blushed.
“Speak of the devil,” Little Grandma said as Holden came running up.
“Aunt Joy.” Holden tugged on my hand. “Will you come in the pool with us? Bella says we can't play Marco Polo without enough people.”
I don’t remember at what point I became ‘Aunt’ Joy, but I was tickled.
I looked down at his earnest little face and felt my resolve crumble. “Okay, but I have to put sunscreen on first.”
“I'll help!” Bella announced, appearing with a bottle of SPF 50. “I'm really good. I help Mama with the hard-to-put-on spots.”
Before I knew it, I was surrounded by helpful hands, kids reapplying my sunscreen, and Emmie fixing my hair so it wouldn't get tangled. Meanwhile, Miss Laverne and the two older Magill sisters offered commentary on the proper way to enter a pool.
“Don't you dare just stick your toe in like some delicate flower,” Auntie Gladiola instructed. “Jump right in. Life's too short for slow entries.”
I watched as Piper helped Holden into the pool and Emmie supervised Bella’s entrance.
“Your turn, Joy,” Graham said softly behind me.
I looked around at all these people, this big, warm, chaotic family that had welcomed me like I'd been part of it forever. Bella was bobbing in the shallow end with her water wings, directing Holden and Zephyr like a tiny lifeguard. They were both wearing water wings and holding onto the same noodle. The adults were all watching me with encouraging smiles, not a hint of judgment in sight.
“That's it!” Roxie cheered.
“You've got this!” Ava called out.
And then, before I could second-guess myself, I jumped.
The water was perfect—cool but not cold, exactly the right temperature for a hot Tennessee afternoon. When I surfaced, everyone was cheering like I'd just won an Olympic medal.
“See?” Roxie said, swimming over to me. “Was that so hard?”
“Actually,” I said, surprised to find myself grinning, “that was kind of amazing.”
“Yay! We can play Marco Polo now!” Bella yelled.
“Mom, we need another noodle,” either Holden or Zephyr called out. With their hair wet, I couldn’t tell one from the other.
“Coming right up.” Aiden held out a noodle. “Here you go, Zephyr.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Who should be ‘it’?” Bella asked.
“Daddy!” the two boys yelled as one.
“Okay, Aiden, you’ve been nominated, and no cheating. I’ll be watching you,” Evie warned her husband.
“I want in on this,” Hart said as he slipped into the pool.
“Yay! You’re on my team,” Simon shouted.
