Footsteps on the stairs made Lacey look to her right and she spotted her mother coming down. Vivien paused on the threshold, taking in the scene. “Am I interrupting?”
“No,” Tessa said, waving her over. “Sit down.”
Vivien hesitated, then came closer and took a chair at the table, concern etching her brow.
“Everything okay? You got up early, Lace.”
“Tessa is, um, talking about something,” she said, not answering her mother’s question. “Go on, Tess.”
“Life is short,” she said, obviously needing no more encouragement than that. “I know that sounds like a bumper sticker, but it’s true. Family matters. Fun doesn’t matter. Work doesn’t matter—not the way we pretend it does when we’re using it to avoid something else.”
Lacey felt her pulse start to climb, her body reacting before her mind caught up.
“Fall in love,” Tessa said. “I know it sounds simple, but it’s not. But I’m telling you, Lacey Knight—fall inlove.”
She already had.
“And then—honestly, I don’t care if this flies in the face of feminism—havebabiesif you want them. A few! A lot! Raise them yourself. Be there. Do not wait for perfect timing or the perfect version of yourself or for the stars to line up. Create a family!”
Lacey didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so she turned to her mother.
Vivien cleared her throat softly.
“I mean—” She gave a small, wry smile. “I’m divorced, so I’m not exactly a poster child for perfect decisions. But I will say this—having a family, even one as small and broken as ours, was a highlight of my life.”
The stairs creaked again, and Eli appeared in a T-shirt and shorts, a coffee cup in one hand, his Bible in the other.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
“Group intervention,” Tessa said. “You’re welcome to join.”
“I was going to sit outside and read, but…” He came to the table, placed his book and cup down, then took a seat. “This sounds just as holy.”
“If you mean, holy moly, Tessa’s on a roll, yeah,” Lacey joked.
“About?”
“About the importance of getting married and having kids,” she said.
“Well, that’s biblical.” Eli put his hand on the leather cover. “It’s on most every page, starting with Genesis. ‘Be fruitful and multiply,’” he said, then glanced around at the three women. “Has one of you…multiplied?”
They laughed. Well, Vivien and Lacey laughed. Tessa looked like he’d kicked her.
“No!” she exclaimed. “And that’s the problem.”
Before anyone could respond, footsteps thundered on the stairs that came up from the first level, followed by Jonah’s voice singing, “You are my sunshine, who slept all night long…”
Atlas cooed as if on cue.
Jonah appeared at the top of the stairs with Atlas strapped to his chest, facing out, wide-eyed and smiling, cheeks impossibly round in the morning light.
Lacey’s heart did something painful and sudden.
Jonah grinned at the room, shaking back his long hair. “If anyone needs proof that life is chaos and magic at the same time, I give you Atlas Lawson—sleeper and superstar!”
Eli laughed, standing up. “Give me my grandson!” he demanded, extracting Atlas from the carrier with ease. “Hello, handsome!”
“What’s the powwow about?” Jonah asked, loping to the table and looking at them. “Would a nice onion and cheese frittata help save the world? ’Cause my kid slept all night and I’m in the mood to cook.”
