Emily:I’m okay. Tired. Pickles snores like a mac truck.
Me:Sounds terrible.
Emily:He’s currently using my leg as a pillow and I can’t feel my foot.
Me:A small price to pay for his affection.
Emily:Worth it, tbh.
I smiled at my phone like a lovesick teenager. Pathetic. Completely pathetic.
Me:You need anything?
Emily:No. I’m good. Mia’s feeding me like I’m a baby bird and Cassidy keeps making me drink water.
Me:Good. Let them fuss.
Emily:I am. It’s actually kind of nice.
A pause. Then:
Emily:Thank you. For coming. For everything.
My heart squeezed so hard I had to rub my chest.
Me:Always.
Saturday,6:23 PM
Me:The girls asked about you today. Told them you were having a sleepover with your friends.
Emily:What did they say?
Me:Alice wanted to know if you were eating cookies for dinner. Audrey said sleepovers are important for “emotional regulation.”
Emily:Omg where did she learn that?
Me:No idea. She’s seven going on forty.
Emily:She’s not wrong though.
Me:She rarely is. It’s terrifying.
Emily:Give them a hug from me?
Me:Will do.
Sunday,7:14 PM
My phone buzzed while I was putting the girls to bed. I didn’t check it until they were both asleep, tucked in and dreaming, then I grabbed it on my way back downstairs.
Emily:So. My parents showed up today.
I stopped in the middle of the hallway, my grip tightening on the phone.
Me:What happened?
Emily:I didn’t see them. Jack saw them pull up on the security camera and asked me if I wanted to talk to them.
