He smiled, briefly and sadly.
It was the first laugh we had shared that did not belong to our marriage.
Maybe that was why it felt safe.
The evening ended with the children staging a snowball ambush against every adult foolish enough to step outside.
Margaret proved surprisingly ruthless.
Aaron, who had flown in with us, betrayed me immediately and joined Olivia’s team.
Daniel took a snowball to the chest from Noah and dramatically fell backward into a snowbank.
Noah stared down at him, uncertain.
Then Daniel groaned, “I have been defeated by superior command.”
Noah’s mouth twitched.
“You’re supposed to surrender.”
Daniel lifted both hands. “I surrender.”
Noah considered.
Then he threw another snowball.
“For birthdays,” he said.
Daniel accepted it.
“For birthdays,” he agreed.
I watched from the porch beside Aaron.
His warm hand found mine.
“You okay?” he asked.
I looked at Daniel lying in the snow while four children shouted battle commands around him. Margaret laughed so hard she had to hold onto General Paul’s arm. The estate glowed behind them, no longer a monument to silence but something messier, louder, more human.
