Character Q&A Couples Edition: Rylee & Xander

All three of us are seated on the patio behind Rylee and Xander’s home in Greene Gardens. The stretch of land beyond their backyard somehow seems larger now than the last time I visited, despite the additions that have made it unmistakably theirs. Off to the right sits a swing set and slide. Near the back of the yard is an inflatable pool that’s been set up but not yet filled.

“We’re waiting for summer to hit,” Xander says, a grin spreading across his face so wide. “I can’t wait. You know I’mma be in that thing too.”

Rylee laughs.

“Oh, we know, baby.”

Their spirits are high, and the comfort between them is impossible to miss. It’s the kind of ease that only comes from choosing each other over and over again.

The children are away for the afternoon, including the newest addition to their family, leaving the three of us to enjoy the quiet and catch up on life since “The End.”