There was a resounding cheer from the crowd before Elliott held up a hand to quiet them. Ridley glanced around. It was an eclectic group of people, some older, some younger and every shade of skin possible.

“I see a few new faces this year which really warms my heart. Our party always includes family and friends because in the Alexander family, if we love you, then you’re one of us. My sons have friends that have been hanging around since college and just because I didn’t birth you doesn’t mean you aren’t mine.” She waved to Trent, Matt and Mara who were standing near the front.

“Now, many of you know the story of how the Alexander family barbecue started but for those who don’t, I’ll share it again. It was, oh, a million years ago,” that got a soft titter from the crowd, “that I met a handsome, young man named Mark Alexander.” She looked over at her husband, who stood with his arm around Bennett’s shoulders.

“We lived on neighboring farms our entire lives and I even played with his younger sister, Maria. But since he was a little older than I was, I never really took notice of him until the summer my parents took me to the Alexander’s farm for a party. When Maria introduced me to her older brother, who was home after recently graduating from college, well… let’s just say my teenage heart went pitter pat.”

Ridley leaned back against Jackson’s chest, completely wrapped up in the story. She could just see the scene his mother described, a young woman meeting the love of her life for the first time on a hot summer day.

“I thought he was quite handsome and sophisticated. That didn’t last long, however, because he said something stupid, as young men often do, and we hated each other for the rest of the summer!”

Ridley laughed along with everyone else as Mark held up his hands, then bowed theatrically.

Jackson pulled her closer to whisper in her ear. “He always acts embarrassed, but secretly I think he loves it when she tells this story.”

“I bet he does,” Ridley sighed. “It’s obvious how much they love each other. I’ve only just met them and I can feel it.” They turned their attention back up front as Julia cleared her throat.

“Anyway, after many failed attempts on Mark’s part to get back into my good graces, tragedy struck. My dear parents died in a car crash leaving me as the sole owner of the Bennett farm.”

She stopped and looked up, one hand over her heart. Silence descended over the group, everyone equally affected by the grief in Julia’s voice. When she looked back at the crowd, tears shimmered in her eyes.

“I was so lost but faith is what carried me through. That and the gracious love of the Alexander family. Mark, especially, was by my side through that heartbreaking time and taught me that family is about so much more than a blood bond. Family is about the heart.”

Ridley sighed as Julia blew a kiss to her husband. She wiped her eyes quickly, embarrassed to be so affected by the story. It was exactly the kind of thing she’d always hoped to find with someone. A genuine love, deep and true that could carry you through the tragedies and the joys of life.

She’d started to believe it didn’t exist.

“Ever since then, we’ve continued the tradition and hosted our own summer party as a reminder to cherish the ones you love, and the time you have together. This year coming up will be our thirtieth wedding anniversary.”

She stopped as everyone broke out into applause. Ridley clapped along with everyone else. She couldn’t even imagine spending thirty years with someone. They’d been together longer than she’d been alive.

“And the most important thing I’ve learned from these thirty years is to take each day as it comes and cherish it.”

“I asked her that one day,” Jackson whispered in her ear.

“What? You asked her about being married?”

“No, I asked her how she knew my dad was the one. She’s always said you’re with the right person when no matter how bad things get, you’d still rather be with them than anywhere else. She always says that no matter how long she and my dad are together, she still wants more time with him. She wants one more day. Every day.”

His arm tightened around her waist and Ridley stopped breathing. For a long moment they stood staring at each other until his mother’s voice came over the sound system again, breaking the spell.

Ridley whipped back around and faced front. Jackson’s arm squeezed her tightly before he let her go. She moved away slightly, ignoring the rapid beating of her heart.

“Enjoy the rest of the party, everyone, and make sure you take a plate home. Don’t you leave us with all of this food! On second thought, leave some of those ribs for Jackson, he’s getting too skinny.” On that note, Mrs. Alexander pushed the microphone back to Elliott and bustled over to the picnic tables.

Jackson groaned. “Oh, the joys of having a big family.”

“It’s nice! She’s worried about her baby boy.”

“Do I look like a baby to you?”

She giggled when he flexed his muscles. “Okay, okay. You are definitely not a baby.”

“All right, I guess I should stop showing off. Come on, I want you to meet some of my cousins. They live over in West Haven.”

*   *   *   *   *

A FEW HOURS later, Jackson was forced to admit there wasn’t anything else he could clean up or move around in the backyard. His parents had taken care of packing up the leftover food and Matt had stayed to help him corral all the recycling and trash containers into the garage.