Page 123 of On the Ropes
Eddie and Alice sat on their bench with Pam. Kathleen was serving punch with Tabitha’s dad. Tabitha’s sister and brother-in law were showing the garden to her niece. Rowan held a beer while dancing with my parents, a goofy grin on his face. Neighbors spread out, eating, laughing. Music filled the street. The skyline rose in the distance as people walked by, joining in the festivities.
Weeks ago, I would have stood off to the side, guarded. Ready for stares and whispers. Unsure of my place. Now I stood hand in hand with Tabitha, prepared to face the world together.
I looked down at the woman who’d been part of that transformation. The woman I’d admired even as a teenager, when I had no clue how we’d come back together. She caught me staring and winked. Then she cleared her throat loudly. Everyone around us stilled, then cheered. Tabitha pointed at my chest. They’re cheering for you, she mouthed. I didn’t miss the tears in my parents’ eyes. I didn’t miss Rowan, raising his beer to me with a wide smile.
I decided to leap without looking, hooking an arm around Tabitha’s waist for a kiss that dissolved into laughter. Another cheer went up, with a few wolf whistles mixed in.
“They’re cheering for you too,” I whispered.
She held my cheeks, still grinning. “They’ll be talking about us around the kiddie pool for years.”
“Let ’em,” I said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Then she was tugging me toward the dancing. And Rowan was cranking up the music. Tabitha twirled ahead of me, opening her arms to her sister as she ran toward her. I couldn’t help but smile as we were welcomed by our neighbors, our found family. Our home.
Tabitha spun around, searching for me. When she caught my eye, stars exploded across my vision. So did the planets, the moon, the sun.
She’d made me a believer. And was everything I’d been missing all along.
