“This is the best dinner ever,” Audrey declared through a mouthful of potato.
“Even better than pancakes?” I teased.
She considered this seriously. “Maybe tied with pancakes.”
After dinner, we piled onto the couch with blankets and pillows. I pulled up a movie on the TV and the girls snuggled in on either side of me, warm and content.
In no time at all, Alice’s head grew heavy on my shoulder. Audrey had her feet tucked under her, completely relaxed.
This. This was what they needed. Not photo shoots and makeup and performing for cameras. Just this. Comfort and safety and being allowed to be kids.
I sat there in my bunny onesie with a little girl on each side. Something shifted inside me. Something I was in no way ready to name, so instead, I snuggled further under the blanket.
The movie played on, soft voices and gentle music filling the quiet living room. My own eyes were getting heavy now, the warmth and comfort of the moment pulling me under.
Just for a minute, I told myself. I’d just rest my eyes for a minute.
CAM
Idragged myself up the porch steps, each one a reminder that I’d been on my feet for hours. My shoulders ached from hauling furniture up three flights of stairs in a building with a broken elevator. My back was screaming. All I wanted was a beer and my bed.
The knowledge that Emily was inside made my pulse kick up despite the exhaustion.
Pathetic. I was absolutely pathetic.
I pushed open the door as quietly as I could, not wanting to wake the girls if they were already down. The living room was dimly lit, just the glow from the TV casting shadows across the walls.
My breath caught in my throat.
Emily and my girls, sprawled across the sofa, sound asleep. Alice was curled up on Emily’s left, Audrey on her right, her head pillowed on Emily’s shoulder. Her purple unicorn onesie was twisted around her legs like she’d been fighting with it in her sleep.
Emily’s arms had fallen naturally around both of them, holding them close even in sleep.
It was the bunny onesie that hit me hardest. A bunny onesie. Complete with floppy ears attached to the hood.
My heart lurched. This was... I didn’t know what the fuck this was.
I shook my head slightly, forcing my body into motion. I moved closer, my footsteps careful and quiet on the hardwood. Crouched down beside the couch so I was at their level.
“Emily,” I said, pitching my voice low.
Nothing. None of them stirred.
“Emily,” I tried again, a little louder.
Her nose scrunched up and she made a small sound, something between a sigh and a grumble. Then her eyes fluttered open, unfocused and confused.
“Cam?” Her voice was thick with sleep, rough in a way that skittered across my skin, making my blood warm.
“Yeah. Sorry to wake you.” I kept my voice low, not wanting to disturb the girls. “I just got home.”
She blinked a few times before registering where she was. What she was wearing. Who was sleeping on her. Her cheeks flushed pink. Christ, she was gorgeous.
“Oh god,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. We were watching a movie and they were so tired and I thought I’d just rest my eyes for a minute.”
“It’s fine.” I couldn’t stop staring at her. “How long have you guys been out?”
“I don’t know. What time is it?”
