As soon as I’m done slipping on my purple Nikes, I reach over to Ellie and give her a giant squeeze.
When I finally let go, she moves her head side to side, loosening her neck after my assault. “What was that for?”
Ellie cocks her head, waiting for an answer, and I can feel Lincoln’s eyes on me from across the kitchen.
Doing my best not to get choked up, I swallow before answering. “For always seeing the best in me.”
You know how some people will suggest keeping your kid up later if you want them to sleep in?
Never listen to them.
Sophia woke up an hour earlier than normal this morning. If you’re wondering how that’s going for us let me tell you. I’ve had three cups of coffee, Sophia is on her second meltdown before 8 a.m., and I spilled a half gallon of milk all over the floor.
We’re doing great.
My mom walks into the kitchen at the same time I hear Sophia slam her bedroom door upstairs. The loud bang echoes throughout the house and I flinch, my shoulders jumping up to my ears.
“What’s going on, sweetheart?” My mom’s voice is soft and nonjudgmental as she places her things on the island.
She stayed over last night to watch Sophia during my game and I’m sure she was up early with all the screaming. God, I really need to find a nanny so my mom doesn’t have to keep sleeping over and losing sleep when doing so.
I’m on my hands and knees cleaning up the spilled milk when I feel her hand on my shoulder.
“Niko.”
Letting out an exasperated breath, I lean back onto my heels.
“Nothing’s going on,?iti. She was just awake before the sun today. She’s exhausted. Her feelings are extra big because of how tired she is. She chose to take a break in her room.”
My mother has never pitied me a day in her life. Bless her heart. And I’m thankful I don’t see pity in her eyes as she stares down at me now.
Slowly, she walks over to the paper towel roll next to the sink and grabs the entire roll before crouching down next to me.
Without saying a word, we work together to clean up the mess. I’m grateful for the silence. There hasn’t been much of it this morning.
We both walk over to the garbage can and toss the saturated paper towels in. Before I can head toward the stairs to check on Sophia, my mom wraps her arms around my waist. She’s shorter than my six-foot-two frame, standing at five foot six, but she’s the perfect height to sneak under my arm for a good hug.
I wrap my arms around her, hugging her back, and rest my chin on top of her head. She leans back to look up at me, without loosening her hold on my waist.
“Better?” she asks with a gentle smile on her face.
Finally, I let her go and nod. “Much.”
“Why don’t we give my angel baby a few more minutes to calm down and you can tell me about your search for a new nanny.”
She walks over and takes a seat at one of the stools next to the island. Reluctantly, I take a seat and join her.
“There’s not much to tell. Only a few people have applied, and after a deep social media dive, I don’t trust any of them. I don’t know what to do at this point.” I rub at my temples. I am utterly exhausted with this search for childcare.
My mom places her hand on my shoulder. “Your dad and I are happy to?—”
“Mother.”
Her eyebrow raises at my interruption and the use of the word “mother.”
“I already told you. You and dad should be relaxing, enjoying retirement. Especially after everything you’ve been through. Not taking care of an overly emotional four-year-old.”
My mom shakes her head at me but seems to back down. “Give Sophia some grace. Emotions are hard enough to handle at that age. When you add in a disappearing parent, I’m sure it makes it almost impossible to control those big feelings.”
