He tugged the through the house, coming to an abrupt stop at the bottom of the stairs. When he
turned around, his smile had fallen into a frown. “What’s wrong, Sammy?”
“I don’t know where I’m going. I forgot I’ve never been here before.” He seemed embarrassed by
that admission, but I loved it. He’d proven that, even though this was his first time in my house, he felt
comfortable with me. That was a better outcome than I could have imagined when I’d invited him
over here.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Eventually, you’re going to know every inch of this house and I’ll be
hollering at you to quit running,” I teased. When Sammy was excited, it was impossible to slow him
down. There was no doubt in my mind, I’d eventually be able to scold him for rushing. “We’re going
up to my room. The master bath has a huge tub I think you’re going to love.”
It was another of those little details I hadn’t fully paid attention to when I’d originally built the
house. I was busy trying to settle into my new job, so I’d deferred on a lot of the decision making.
Now, I wondered how much my sister-in-law knew about my lifestyle because there were all these
little accents that seemed too perfect to be coincidence.
I flipped on the ambient lighting, skipping the bright overhead lights. Sammy gaped at the
freestanding tub nestled under a huge window. I followed as he stepped closer, leaning around him to
start warming the water. “It’s like a swimming pool!”
It wasn’tthatbig, but it definitely put standard tubs to shame. I’d never completely filled it
because that seemed like a waste of water. The upside was I could put enough water in that he’d be
able to dunk himself and still have room for lots of bubbles. He clapped his hands when I poured the
bubble soap into the water. “Come on, silly boy, let’s get you undressed. Do you have to go potty
before you get in the tub?”
As if he’d just realized his bladder was full, he crossed his legs and started wiggling around. I
took his hand and led him to the toilet.
“What are you doing?” he asked as I crouched down to take off his pants and undies. Immediately,
he covered himself.
Oh. Right.
We’d been having such a good time, I hadn’t given our differences a second thought. Now, I had to
reassure him I wasn’t turned off by them. I placed my hands on his shoulders after tossing his pants
toward the hamper.
