Chapter 4

Summer had settled over Forgotten Valley in full force, painting the hills in brilliant shades of green beneath an endless blue sky. Cicadas hummed from the trees surrounding the ranch, their steady chorus mixing with the distant lowing of cattle and the occasional cluck from the chicken coop. Warm sunlight poured across the fields, turning the dirt paths pale beneath its glare while a gentle breeze carried the familiar scents of grass, wildflowers, and freshly turned soil.

For Sunny, however, the most beautiful sight on the entire ranch wasn't the Summer landscape. It was her house. She stopped halfway up the path and stared at it with Cyrus balanced securely against her chest.

For the first time in what felt like forever, there were no Gotts walking across the porch. No stacks of lumber resting beside the walls. No hammering from sunrise until evening. No tools scattered across the yard waiting for someone to trip over them. Gotts was finished. Her home was finally ready.

Sunny's face slowly broke into an enormous grin, "We're home, Cyrus!"

Cyrus responded with an excited squeal, throwing both arms into the air as though he understood exactly what she had said. The sudden movement nearly knocked him sideways, forcing Sunny to tighten her arms around him.

"Whoa!" she laughed. "Easy there, little man. We haven't even gotten through the front door yet."

A few steps behind her, Nami followed at a considerably less enthusiastic pace, carrying a cardboard box pressed against her chest. Unlike Sunny, who had the luxury of carrying one cheerful baby, Nami had somehow been assigned a box filled with enough of Sunny's belongings to make her question what exactly the brunette with pink highlights had been keeping inside it.

Nami adjusted her grip, "Are you planning on standing there staring at the house all day?"

Sunny glanced over her shoulder, "I'm appreciating it."

"You've been appreciating it for five minutes."

"It's my house. I'm allowed."

Nami sighed and shifted the box again. "You can appreciate it after I put this down."

Sunny laughed and hurried toward the porch, Cyrus bouncing happily with every step. For the duration of the renovations, Sunny and Cyrus had been staying at the inn. What had originally sounded like a simple temporary arrangement had quickly turned into an exercise in discovering just how much stuff one woman and one baby could accumulate.

Sunny had brought clothes. Then Cyrus needed clothes. Then diapers, blankets, bottles, toys, books, baby food. And somehow, despite Sunny insisting that she had packed "only the essentials," their temporary living space had gradually expanded until Nami had begun storing some of Sunny's belongings in her own drawers simply because there was nowhere else to put them.

Nami had complained, naturally, but she had never actually refused. Now, little by little, everything was making the journey back where it belonged.

Sunny reached the porch and stopped before the front door. Her excitement quieted. For just a moment, she simply stood there. This was still the same house. The same ranch house her father had left behind. The same place she had walked into when she first arrived in Forgotten Valley with more determination than experience. The same little home where she had spent her first nights exhausted from ranch work, played records too loudly, danced around the living room like an idiot, and slowly learned that somewhere didn't have to be the place where you were born to become home.

But it wasn't quite the same anymore. It couldn't be. When Sunny had first moved into the ranch house, one room had been enough. Her bed, living space, and cooking area had all shared the same modest interior. It had been small, perhaps even cramped by city standards, but Sunny had loved it. She hadn't needed anything more. Back then, there had only been her.

Sunny looked down at the little boy resting against her chest. Cyrus stared back at her with enormous brown eyes before reaching upward and grabbing one of her brunette-and-pink braids.

"Ow." He giggled. Sunny smiled despite the tiny fist now tangled securely in her hair. "Yeah," she murmured. "Things are a little different now."

Nami stepped onto the porch behind her. For once, she didn't make another comment about the box. Sunny took a breath, reached for the handle, and pushed open the door. Warm Summer light spilled through the windows as she stepped inside.

Sunny stopped again, "Whoa…" The original main room was immediately recognizable, yet somehow it felt completely different.

The familiar wooden walls remained, as did many of the little pieces of Sunny's life that had made the farmhouse unmistakably hers. Her shelves waited to be filled again with books and video games. Her record player sat safely against the wall, accompanied by several carefully packed crates of vinyl waiting to be returned to their proper places. The couch had been moved back into position, and sunlight stretched across the wooden floor in broad golden rectangles.

But the room no longer had to be everything at once. Sunny's bed was gone. So was the little cooking area that had once occupied part of the room. For the first time, the original heart of the farmhouse could simply be a living room. Sunny slowly turned in place, taking in all the open floor around her.

"Oh, this is nice!"

Nami finally stepped through the doorway and immediately lowered the box to the floor with a relieved grunt.

"This was heavy."

Sunny looked at her innocently. "Really?"

Nami straightened and stared at her. "What did you put in there?"

Sunny thought about it. "Books. And makeup. And I can't live without my portable console. And some games." She paused. "And maybe a couple records."

Nami closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Now she knew Sunny had packed things simply for the sake of packing them. Why on earth had she brought records to the inn when the record player had stayed behind in the house being renovated?

Sunny grinned. By now, she knew exactly what that look meant, which only made her laugh quietly to herself.

Cyrus chose that moment to squeal from her arms, apparently finding the entire exchange hilarious. Sunny might drive Nami crazy sometimes, but even Cyrus seemed perfectly content whenever the two of them were together. Whatever exasperation passed between them never lasted long. Beneath every sigh, every teasing remark, and every ridiculous argument, there was something neither of them could really hide anymore. They loved each other.

"See?" Sunny said. "Cyrus thinks it's funny."

"Cyrus didn't have to carry it."

Sunny bounced him gently against her hip. "That's because Cyrus has little baby arms."

Nami stared at her for another moment before shaking her head. Then she glanced at Cyrus, who was absolutely loving all the attention being directed his way.

"Your baby better learn to carry his own weight when he gets older," she told him. "I can't do this forever."

Cyrus answered with another delighted squeal.

Sunny grinned. "I think he just agreed."

"He better have."

Sunny laughed and moved farther into the house. Beyond the familiar living area, the renovation opened into the new sections that had been added specifically because her old one-room arrangement simply couldn't support the life she had now.

The kitchen immediately caught Sunny's attention. She hurried toward it with Cyrus still tucked against her side, her eyes widening as she took in the dedicated counters, cabinets, and cooking space. No more trying to prepare dinner practically within arm's reach of her bed. No more balancing ingredients wherever she could find room.

And beside it sat a proper dining area. Sunny gasped. "I have a real dining table! Not just a table that happens to be used for eating. A dedicated table for eating!"

Nami followed her inside. "You've seen the table before. You picked it out of a magazine with Gotts."

"Yeah, but not in person." Sunny turned back toward the table, admiring it from another angle. "It looks amazing in the finished house."

Nami decided there was no point arguing with that. Sunny approached the dining table as though inspecting some priceless artifact, running her fingertips over the smooth wooden surface. She could already picture breakfasts with Cyrus sitting in his baby booster seat beside her, dinners after long days working on the ranch, and Nami sitting across from her while pretending she hadn't come over specifically because Sunny had promised food.

For the first time, it wasn't just a place where Sunny could sit down and eat. It looked like a place where a family could have dinner together.

After admiring the kitchen, Sunny turned toward the bedrooms. "Come on, Cyrus. Let's go see your room!"

His reaction suggested this was the greatest proposal anyone had ever made. Sunny hurried down the short passage and pushed open the door to the nursery. This time, she went completely silent.

The room wasn't large. It didn't need to be. A crib waited against one wall, freshly assembled and ready for the blankets still packed away at the inn. A small dresser stood nearby for Cyrus's clothes, with enough room around it for the collection of toys Sunny knew would inevitably multiply no matter how often she swore he had enough. Sunlight filtered softly through the window.

Sunny stepped inside. "This is yours," she whispered.

Cyrus blinked. Sunny looked around the little room again, "Your own bedroom."

Something about saying it aloud affected her more than she expected. When the renovation had begun, everything had been measurements, construction, inconvenience, and endless decisions. Where should this go? How much room did they need? Was that safe? Would this still work when Cyrus got older?

Now there was no construction, no blueprints, no endless conversations about who would someday sleep here. There was simply Cyrus, her son, in his very own room.

Sunny kissed the top of his head, "I hope you like it. Granny Romana was very generous to us."

Cyrus immediately grabbed her nose. Nami snorted from the doorway. Sunny's tender expression disappeared.

"Apparently he likes my face better."

"Maybe he's redecorating."

"Please don't encourage him."

Sunny carefully lowered Cyrus onto the floor before walking over to inspect the crib. For the first few moments, he seemed perfectly content to stay where she had placed him, leaving Sunny free to examine the wooden rails and soft bedding that would soon become part of his nightly routine.

At least, that was what Sunny thought. While her attention remained on the crib, Cyrus spotted the open doorway behind her. He planted his little hands against the wooden floor and began crawling toward it, slowly at first, then with growing determination.

Nami noticed his escape attempt from where she stood nearby. "Sunny."

"Hm?"

"Your kid's escaping."

Sunny glanced over her shoulder and found Cyrus already halfway to the doorway. "Hey!"

Cyrus squealed at the sound of her voice. Rather than stopping, he began crawling even faster, apparently deciding that being caught was now part of the game.

"Cyrus!"

Sunny hurried after him, catching up just as he reached the doorway. She bent down and swept him off the floor before he could disappear into the hall.

"Gotcha!" She lifted him triumphantly into the air, earning a burst of delighted laughter from Cyrus as his little legs kicked excitedly above her.

Sunny couldn't help laughing with him. Apparently, Cyrus had already discovered his favorite feature of the renovated house: there were now more places for him to escape to.

"Oh, you think that's funny?" Sunny demanded. "You've had your own bedroom for thirty seconds and you're already making a jailbreak?"

Nami leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, watching Sunny settle Cyrus safely back against her chest. "You realize he's only going to get faster. And eventually, he'll walk."

Sunny's victorious smile faded slightly as she lowered him into her arms. "Why would you say that?"

Nami shrugged, "Sorry, but it's generally what babies do. They grow up, run, and play. That crib won't hold him forever."

Sunny looked at Cyrus, who gazed innocently back at her with a bright smile. After witnessing his attempted escape only moments earlier, she wasn't convinced she could trust that innocent little face anymore.

Her eyes narrowed, "Don't get any ideas. I'm going to watch you like a hawk!"

Cyrus answered with a cheerful string of babbling, waving one hand as though he had plenty of ideas and simply lacked the vocabulary to share them.

Nami shook her head, unable to hide the faint smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Sunny hugged Cyrus against her chest and took another look around the nursery. Until now, she had been admiring the new room as a place for him to sleep, play, and grow. Suddenly, she was noticing everything within reach of a curious baby who had recently discovered just how much of the world he could explore on his hands and knees. Perhaps there was still a little more work to do.

The renovations might have been finished, but apparently baby-proofing the house had only just begun. With Cyrus safely confined to his crib, where no amount of determined crawling could produce another successful jailbreak, Sunny and Nami moved on to the final new room. Sunny's bedroom.

Like the nursery, it wasn't particularly large or extravagant. There was a dresser for her clothes, a small nightstand, a lamp for when she inevitably stayed awake later than she should, and enough space for Sunny to add her own personal touches once she finished unpacking.

But none of those things held her attention for long. Her eyes immediately landed on the bed. It was considerably larger than the one she had slept in before the renovation, with enough room for two people to sleep comfortably beneath the freshly spread blankets.

Sunny's face lit up. "Ooh!"

Before Nami could ask what she was doing, Sunny rushed forward and threw herself onto the mattress. She bounced once, laughed, and immediately bounced again like a child testing a new trampoline.

Nami stared at her, "You're an adult."

"I know!" Sunny bounced again. "But this is too much fun!"

"That makes this worse."

Sunny finally fell backward across the mattress with a satisfied laugh, stretching her arms above her head. "This is so much better than my old bed."

Nami stepped closer and gave the bed a thoughtful look."It's also a double bed. You know. The kind usually meant for two people."

Sunny turned her head. "Yeah?" For a moment, Sunny merely blinked at her. Then a mischievous smile slowly appeared.

Nami immediately regretted saying anything.

"Ooooh," Sunny said, drawing the word out. "I see what you mean."

"Don't."

"Uncle Taka picked this bed." Sunny rolled onto her stomach and propped her chin in her hands. "Maybe Uncle Taka is trying to tell me something."

"He probably just thought you needed a bigger bed."

"Or maybe he thinks I should get married soon."

Nami felt heat rush into her face. Sunny noticed. That only encouraged her.

She lowered one finger to the blanket and idly began tracing the shape of a heart across the fabric. "I wonder who I should marry."

Nami's heart gave an uncomfortable thump against her chest. Sunny traced another heart.

"I guess it should be someone I get along with really well."

Another thump.

"Someone who doesn't mind me being a little weird."

Nami folded her arms pretending the storm in her chest isn't bothering her.

"And obviously," Sunny continued innocently, "they'd have to love Cyrus. If somebody married me, they'd be getting him too. So I'd need someone who wouldn't mind being his other parent."

Nami's face went completely red. The Blue Feather hidden among her belongings at the inn suddenly felt as though it were burning a hole through the entire valley.

Sunny looked up at her, "Nami?"

"I'm leaving."

"What?"

"I need air."

Nami turned and marched out of the bedroom before Sunny could say another word. Sunny watched her disappear into the main living room. Then she buried her face in the blanket to muffle her laughter.

Still grinning, Sunny pushed herself off the bed and hurried after her. "Nami, wait!"

She found Nami back in the living room, trying very hard to look interested in one of the unpacked boxes rather than acknowledging what had just happened. Sunny decided, for once, to have mercy on her.

Her attention fell on the familiar camera bag Nami had brought with her, sitting beside her laptop and a few other things she routinely carried between the inn and the ranch.

"Oh!" Sunny said. "We should find somewhere for your stuff."

Nami stopped. "My stuff?"

"Yeah. Your camera, laptop, chargers, whatever." Sunny gestured toward the collection. "You're always bringing that bag over here."

"Sunny, I live at the inn."

"I know."

"Then why would I keep my stuff here?"

Sunny stared at her as though the answer should have been obvious, "Because you come over pretty often. And I know you're going to be coming over more often!"

Nami sighed. Sunny's eyes suddenly gleamed with renewed mischief. Before Nami could react, Sunny darted forward, snatched up the camera bag, and held it against her chest.

"Hey!" Sunny took off across the living room. "Sunny, give that back!"

"You have to catch me first!"

"I am not playing this game!"

"That sounds exactly like something someone losing would say!"

Nami hurried after her as Sunny skipped around one of the unpacked boxes, laughing as she kept the bag just out of reach. Nami lunged once, but Sunny twisted away at the last second and scampered toward the far side of the room.

"Sunny!"

"Almost!"

"You're going to drop it!"

"I would never!"

Sunny spun around, hurried back toward the quiet corner she had chosen, and placed the camera bag on the floor beside it with exaggerated care.

"There!" she announced. "Safe and sound."

Nami stopped a few steps away, catching her breath and glaring at her. "You are impossible."

Sunny only grinned. "But now you know where it goes."She gestured to the outlet where she can plug up Nami's laptop. "There! This can be your corner."

"My corner?"

"Nami's Corner."

"No."

Sunny retrieved the laptop bag next and placed it beside the camera.

"Looks pretty official to me."

Nami stared at the little collection of her belongings, then at Sunny. She still had a room at the inn. Her clothes were there. Her bed was there. Everything she actually needed was there.

And yet Sunny had somehow decided that because Nami spent so much time at the ranch, she should have a little place here too. Not a bedroom. Not even a drawer. Just a corner.

Nami sighed again and walked over to adjust the camera bag Sunny had carelessly set down. "If you're going to make me keep things here, at least don't throw my camera around."

Sunny smiled. "So you're keeping the corner?"

"I didn't say that."

"You're organizing it."

"Sunny."

"Nami's Corner!"

Nami closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I should've stayed at the inn."

Sunny laughed. They both knew she didn't mean it.

By the following morning, Sunny had decided that she had spent enough time getting settled.

The house still wasn't completely unpacked, and there were plenty of little things left to organize, but the ranch wasn't going to run itself. Takakura had handled more than his share of the work while Sunny adjusted to caring for Cyrus and waited for the renovations to finish. Now it was her turn again.

The Summer sun was already climbing into the sky when Sunny made her way across the field, dressed for work with her hair pulled back and her sleeves rolled up. She had spent the morning tending to the animals before moving into the crop field, where several rows needed watering beneath the growing heat. It felt good to be back.

Sunny tipped the watering can over another plant, watching the dry soil darken as the water soaked into it. Then she heard it. The "Click" of the camera.

Sunny paused and slowly looked over her shoulder. Nami stood several yards away with Cyrus balanced comfortably against her hip and her camera raised in her free hand.

Sunny stared at her. Nami lowered the camera, "What?"

"How many pictures have you taken?"

"Not that many."

Sunny narrowed her eyes. Cyrus happily kicked his legs against Nami's side, apparently enjoying watching his mother work almost as much as Nami enjoyed photographing her.

Sunny stood and planted both hands on her hips. Nami lowered the camera just enough for Sunny to see her face. A mischievous smile spread across Sunny's lips, "You know what? New rule! Only my spouse can take pictures of me!"

Nami froze. The camera slowly lowered. Sunny watched with immense satisfaction as color spread across Nami's cheeks.

"You—"

Sunny smiled sweetly. Nami's face turned even redder. And so, without another word, she turned toward the farmhouse.

Sunny laughed. "Where are you going?"

"Back inside. I'm going to unpack your stuff."

Sunny watched Nami march across the ranch with Cyrus still resting comfortably against her shoulder. Cyrus peered over at Sunny as they left, seemingly confused about why his ride had suddenly decided to retreat.

Sunny cupped both hands around her mouth, "BYE! SEE YOU AT NAMI'S CORNER!"

Nami didn't even turn around, "STOP CALLING IT THAT!"

Sunny's laughter carried across the ranch as Nami disappeared into the farmhouse with Cyrus. Still grinning, Sunny picked up her watering can and returned to work. Summer had only just begun.