The farm was quiet under the pale winter sun, the snow crunching beneath Lee’s boots as he walked up the porch steps. Holly had stayed behind at the bakery with Marissa and Jake, and though part of him wanted to linger there, he knew he needed this time with his family. Just over a week remained before deployment, and every moment mattered.
Inside, the warmth of the farmhouse wrapped around him. Tracy and Ms. Bea sat together at the kitchen table, their heads bent close in easy conversation, laughter spilling between them like mother and daughter sharing secrets. Mitchell was by the fireplace, his expression softer than it had been in months. Something at the Christmas party had shifted—like a switch flipped—and the tension that had once weighed heavy between father and son seemed to have
