Joy
I was back homeon a Sunday evening at my parents’ backyard for family dinner. I still couldn’t believe that two weeks ago, I was so heartbroken yet now, I was on the top of the world. The handsome man sitting next to me had a little something to do with that.
I turned my attention toward him as he talked to Crew about something or other. They were relaxed drinking a beer. I caught Linc’s gaze, and he winked at me before plopping a kiss on my forehead and returning to his conversation. My mom and sisters were talking about who knew what, and my eyes moved to my dad.
He’d been weirdly quiet all day. As a father of three grown women, you would think he’d be excited to have two of his daughters in relationships. Especially since none of us had brought anyone home before. Or at least not anyone of great significance.
But maybe that was the case. My dad knew these guys at the table had the potential of sticking around and becoming the sons he’d never had.
Crew was older than my baby sister, and I assumed maybe my dad was having a tough time with that.
“Joy, can you grab another bottle?” Karma asked sweetly. I laughed, standing and making my way to the kitchen. It took me a little bit to find the bottle of red Karma wanted, but it was probably because I’d snuck into my mom’s cupcakes.
When I returned, I noticed Linc wasn’t where I’d left him. Instead, he was at the far end of the yard by my mom’s rose garden with my dad. They shook hands, and there was something about the way Lincoln carried himself. He looked almost relieved.
“Hey, baby, need me to open this?” he asked when he reached me, and I nodded.
“Thanks.” I grinned. “You okay?” I asked, and he nodded.
“I am. You good?”
“Yeah, wanna sit down?”
“I’ll be right there. Can you serve Karma a glass before she gets cranky, though?”
“Sure.” He chuckled, and I watched as he went back to the big wooden outdoor dining table.
But I didn’t follow him. I kept walking toward my dad, who was still by the roses.
“Hey, Dad. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just full. Like usual, your mom made too much.”
“You grilled.”
“What she bought,” he pointed out, and I giggled. My dad put his arm over my shoulder, and I looked up at him.
“I like him,” he announced quietly but seriously, and something about it caught me off guard. “After I saw you last time, well… you know. I was worried.”
“It was a misunderstanding.”
“He apologized for that,” my dad shared. My eyes widened.
“Dad!”
“What? I didn’t make him say sorry.”
“Oh god!” I groaned and felt my dad’s body shake beside me.
“I wasn’t sure what to think when your mom told me you’d met this guy like Crew and Faith did.” I looked up at him, not completely following what he was saying. “Through letters.” He laughed, shaking his head. “In this day in age, where you swipe right and left, my girls went old school.”
“Not all of them,” I reminded him. We turned just in time to see Karma double-fisting two glasses of wine. “Looks like it will be a while before she settles down.”
“Maybe,” he muttered, but there was a twinkle in my dad’s eye that made me wonder if he knew more than he was leading on. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“Snitches get stitches.” He winked, and both of us laughed. “Go hang with your man.” He hip-bumped me, and I rolled my eyes.
“My man?” I repeated sassily. The old man frowned and pointed at me.
“Joy, be the energy you want to attract.” I smiled and relaxed into his hug before walking away.
My dad had told me that every morning before school. By the time I reached the table, it hit me. I realized how a motto like that could have such a crazy ripple effect. Not only on one person’s life but those around you.
Lincoln’s hand claimed mine, his fingers twined with mine, and the warmth in his eyes when our gazes connected made my heart flip inside my chest. Somehow, someway, we’d manifested this. We’d found our way to one another. It wasn’t the usual way or conventional, but it made sense for us.
And that was all that mattered.