“Good morning, Sadie,” I coo. “Good grief. You’re a chunky little monkey, aren’t you?”
Leah chuckles. “Yeah, the girl loves to eat. And we are just now starting on solid foods.”
I hold her up. “That’s okay. Nothing wrong with baby having some back. They wrote a whole song about it.”
“Something tells me that’s not what Sir Mix-a-Lot had in mind.”
“Eh, close enough.” I look down at Sadie. “When are you going to start growing some hair? You don’t look much like a Lawson yet.”
All of my siblings and I look like our dad with dark hair and brown eyes. All of their kids have inherited the same genes.
Leah laughs. “Hey, don’t jinx it. So far, this kid actually looks a little like me. The second her hair starts growing, I know that will change.” She points to Luna. “That one, on the other hand, straight up looks like your brother crapped her out.”
“Yep. The Lawson genes run strong.”
“I now understand how your mom felt having five kids who didn’t resemble her in the least.” She walks over to grab Luna who is now attempting to climb on the headboard. The moment she sets her feet on the ground, Luna takes off running out of the room.
“How do I get that kind of energy?” I ask.
“You have to be three-years-old,” she jokes. “So, how are you feeling after a good night’s sleep.”
“I’m okay. Happy to be home.”
“Any big plans for the day?”
“Well, I realized I left all my bathroom stuff back at Mario’s, so I think I’m going to hit the store to stock up, and then, I should probably go see my parents.”
Her nose scrunches up. “Yeah, you better go see your mom before she comes here looking for you. I don’t want her blaming me for anything.”
“Hey, she likes you.”
“And I’d like to keep it that way,” she says with a smirk. She starts to head for the door but comes to get Sadie first. “We’ll let you get up and get ready in peace.”
I feel the need to say something before she leaves. “Leah?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for going to bat for me last night. I know me being here isn’t exactly convenient.”
She smiles. “Anytime. Welcome home, sweets.”
***
An hour later, I’m up, dressed, and hitting the streets of Lilly Leaf Falls. Man, I forgot how much I love this small town. Every time I come home, I always get a little lost in the magic of this place. Up until now, it always felt so short-lived. It was just a few days here and there—normally for a holiday or someone’sbirthday. I tried to cram in as much time with family and everyone else as I could, and I never truly got to slow down and enjoy it.
But now? Now, I’m going to try to savor every moment of it.
As I walk through the town square, I can smell the fresh donuts coming from Dina’s bakery. After smelling it, there’s no way I can just walk on by.
I duck into the tiny shop and take a giant whiff. Lord, it smells even better inside.
Looking around, I see the place hasn’t changed much at all. On one end of the counter, there are cute little animal figurines. I remember coming in here as a kid and playing with them while my dad picked out donuts.
Dina comes walking in from the back.
“Hey, there! How can I—“ She stops when she sees who I am. “Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in!”
She walks out from the other side of the counter to give me a hug. “Little Jo Lawson. How are you doing, sweetheart?”
