“Yes.”
Kevin stepped closer.
“You told me you’d think about it.”
“I did.”
“And?”
“I thought about it.”
“And?”
I looked directly at him.
“And I said no.”
His jaw tightened.
“You can’t just leave us standing outside.”
“I didn’t invite you.”
He stared at me.
For years, I had been afraid of that look.
The disappointment.
The anger.
The accusation.
The silent message that I had somehow failed my family.
But standing there on my own porch, I realized something.
His anger wasn’t proof that I was wrong.
It was proof that my boundary had finally reached him.
Patrice folded her arms.
“This is unbelievable.”
“No,” I said quietly.
“What is unbelievable is that I told you no, and you came anyway.”
Nobody answered.
Behind them, Madison stood beside the minivan holding a small backpack.
She looked confused.
Tyler was kicking at the gravel.
Little June was hugging a stuffed rabbit.
