Because now, she’s once again lifting her head out of the water, flipping her hair back, and laughing.
She grabs my hand and tugs me back into the water with her.
“That was fucking terrifying,” I tell her as the jets finish their cycle and shut off.
“Mama? Dona say duck?” Bash says above us.
Her eyes meet mine, wide, telegraphingoh my god, we got caught, and that’s when I start to feel it too.
The absolute hilarity of all of this.
I cough to cover a snicker, but Emma knows.
She knows what I’m doing.
And before I realize it, we’re both laughing so hard we can barely stay above water, her clinging to my shoulders, me wrapping my arms around her waist, justbeing.
“Mama?” Bash says again.
“I’ll be up in a minute, sweetie. Sing a song while you wait, okay? Did Zen teach you a new Waverly Sweet song? The one about catching a case of the feels?”
“You know it’s fucking hot when you stare down a bear and win, right?” I murmur to her.
“Don’t fuck withthismama bear,” she replies.
I love you.
It’s on the tip of my tongue.
But I bite it back.
I don’t want to move too fast and scare her.
I just want tobe here. For her. With her.
She kisses me softly on the cheek and pulls away. “Thank you for coming over tonight.”
“Can I stay?”
She pauses.
“On the couch,” I clarify.
“Mama?” Bash calls once more.
Emma glances up at his window, then smiles at me. “If you’d like.”
I’d like.
I would very much like.
32
Emma
Yolko Ono is sleepingon Jonas.
They’re both on my couch, Jonas covered by a light quilt that my mom made me when I was a baby, the quilt serving as Yolko Ono’s nest tonight.
