"Officer Fraces Campbell is finally trusting Mila."
"That's progress."
"It is." Maddox kissed her temple, breathing in the herbal scent of her shampoo. "Come on, before Emma decides she's in charge of dinner."
They walked inside together, Jade's hand finding hers automatically. In the kitchen, Emma was already trying to reach the plates in the cabinet, Zeus sitting nearby like a patient supervisor.
"I’ve got it," Jade said, moving to help. "Can you set the table, Emma?"
"Okay! How many plates?"
"Three for people. One for Zeus?—"
"Zeus eats on the floor, Mama."
"You're right, I forgot." Jade winked at Maddox. "Three plates then."
Maddox grabbed the glasses while Emma carefully carried plates to the table, her tongue poking out in concentration. The radio was on low, playing something soft, and the kitchen smelled like cumin and garlic and the particular comfort of a Thursday evening.
Zeus settled near the table, his watchful eyes tracking Emma's movements. When she dropped a napkin, he didn't even twitch.
"Mom, can Zeus have a bite of my taco?"
"No."
"Just a tiny bite?"
"He has his own food."
Emma sighed dramatically but didn't push. Maddox caught Jade's amused expression and felt something warm spread through her chest. They'd gotten good at this—the teamwork, the unified front, the small negotiations that made up family life.
Three years ago, she'd been alone except for Zeus. Now the house felt full even when it was quiet.
Dinner was loud in the best way. Emma talked almost nonstop—about school, about her friend Autumn, about the book she was reading, about whether she could get a kitten (not happening), about everything and nothing all at once.
"And then Mrs. Peterson said my drawing was really good and she put it on the wall, and I drew our family—me and Mom and Mama and Zeus—and everyone said Zeus looked real."
"That's wonderful, sweetheart," Jade said, serving more rice onto Emma's plate even though she'd barely touched what was already there.
Maddox ate and listened, occasionally catching Jade's eye across the table. They'd developed their own silent language over the years, small expressions that saidshe's stalling bedtimeorsave me from this story I've heard five timesor simplyI love this, I love you, I love what we made.
Zeus lay beneath the table, close enough that Emma's foot occasionally nudged his side. He'd positioned himself between the three of them, the way he always did.
"Mom?" Emma's voice went quieter. "Can we play outside after dinner? Just for a little bit?"
Maddox checked the window. It was still light out, the late summer evening stretching long. "Twenty minutes, then bath time."
"Thirty?"
"Twenty-five, and you don't argue about the bath."
Emma grinned. "Deal!”
After dinner, Maddox took Emma and Zeus into the backyard while Jade cleaned up. They'd learned to divide and conquer, trading off tasks so neither carried too much weight.The grass needed mowing, Maddox noted absently, but that could wait until the weekend.
Emma threw a tennis ball for Zeus, who retrieved it at a gentle lope rather than the explosive sprint he'd once managed. Age was catching up to him, small concessions appearing month by month. But he still played and found joy in the simple work of fetching and returning.
"Gentle, Em," Maddox reminded when Emma's throw went wild. "He's not as young as he used to be."
