Was she? Sarah looked out the window again, watching a cardinal hop across the grass. She thought about her mother, who had rebuilt her life from the ground up after everything fell apart. She thought about Beth, in Massachusetts, waiting for babies who would change her world. She thought about all the family gatherings over the years, the way they always managed to come together when it mattered, regardless of distance or inconvenience.
“I'm considering it,” she said. “But I need to figure out coverage at the Center.”
“Same. I need to talk to Jeff again, make sure he's really okay with solo parenting for that long.” Lauren's voice softened. “But Sarah? I think we should do it. I think Grandma's right. This is one of those moments we'll look back on, and I don't want to look back and wish I'd been there. This will only happen once and then we move on.”
“Since when did you become the sentimental one?”
“Since I turned forty and started crying at phone commercials.”
Sarah laughed. “Pregnancy hormones hit Beth. Regular hormones hit you. What does that make me?”
“The responsible one. Which is why you're going to figure out the logistics and make this work.”
“I hate that you're right.”
“I know. Call me after you talk to Trevor.”
They hung up, and Sarah stood in the kitchen for a long moment, her phone still in her hand. From the living room, she could hear Sophia explaining her version of the life a dinosaur to Little Maggie, who was responding with enthusiastic but incomprehensible commentary.
Her children. Her life. Her carefully constructed tower.
Maybe it was time to let a few blocks shift.
She found Trevor in the driveway, bent over a set of stones he’d planned to place along their driveway. He looked up when she approached, a pencil tucked behind his ear and a smudge of dirt on his chin.
“The kids okay?” he asked.
“Fine. They’re watching The Good Dinosaur for the hundredth time. I need to talk to you about something.”
Trevor set down the pencil and gave her his full attention. This was one of the things she loved most about him, the way he could shift gears completely, setting aside whatever he was doing to focus on her. After a few years of marriage, some couples stopped really listening to each other. Trevor had never stopped.
“What's going on?”
Sarah explained. Grandma Sarah's plan. Lauren's tentative agreement. The timing, the logistics, the guilt that was already building at the thought of leaving him with three children for over a week.
Trevor listened without interrupting. When she finished, he was quiet for a moment, his expression thoughtful.
“Your grandmother wants to drive to Massachusetts,” he said finally. “In her RV. With you and Lauren.”
“That's the summary, yes.”
“And you'd be gone for...a week? More?”
“Probably more. Maybe ten days, depending on how things go with the house and the babies.”
Trevor nodded slowly. He walked to her and took her hands, his thumbs rubbing gentle circles on her palms.
“You should go,” he said.
Sarah blinked. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.” He smiled. “Sarah, your sister is having twins. Your family is saying goodbye to the house you grew up in. Your grandmother isn’t going to be around forever. How could I possibly tell you not to be part of that?”
“But the kids. And your work. And everything.”
“I'll figure it out. My parents are dying to spend more time with their grandchildren. They mention it all the time.” Trevor squeezed her hands. “And the kids will be fine. Noah's old enough to help out. Sophia can entertain herself for hours as long as she has books about fish. Maggie will climb on things regardless of who's watching her.”
“That's not as reassuring as you think it is.”
