At this age, kids change so much, and seeing how tall Amber has grown and how much more confident Skye has become is a stark reminder of how much of their lives I missed out on.
Even though it wasn’t my fault, it still feels like I failed them. I’m so angry at Joe for keeping the girls away from me, but there’s no point in wasting my energy on him.
I will never be able to get that time back, but what I can do is make the most of the time I have moving forward.
Amber looks at me. “And you’ll come to my spelling bee?”
“I’ll be sitting in the front row at everything. All of your dance shows, all of your cookie-eating competitions.”
Skye laughs. “We don’t do cookie-eating competitions. Auntie Fi, you’re so silly.”
“Not as silly as you,” I say, tickling her until she collapses on the floor in a fit of giggles.
Amber jumps on my back, and we all end up in a pile on the rug, laughing until our cheeks are wet with tears.
Cormac eventually joins us again after stepping out to make a few calls.
Amber and Skye absolutely adore him, and for good reason. He might look all tough and scary on the outside, but put him in a sparkly tiara, and Cormac Sullivan turns into a man who melts my heart.
“I love you,” I whisper in his ear while the girls are busy digging through their dressing-up box for another crown.
He leans in and nips at my lower lip. “Are you sure you don’t just love me for my tiara?”
I laugh, stroking his stubbled cheek. “You’re so pretty.”
“Mmm, not as pretty as you.”
“Here you go, Auntie Fi!” Skye holds up a sparkly top hat.
“Do you not think Cormac and I should swap?”
Cormac feigns horror as he holds onto his crown. “Don’t go stealing my tiara. Girls, Auntie Fi needs a time-out. She’s trying to steal my crown.”
Skye sighs. “Auntie Fi, Cormac is the princess now. You have to take turns.”
I grin at him. “I’m so telling Brennan about this.”
For a little while, the world outside this house doesn’t exist, and I can pretend it’s just the four of us. That is, until a few hours later, when Joe appears in the doorway, clearing his throat to announce himself.
“It’s getting late,” he grunts.
My stomach drops.
“No!” Skye cries.
Amber throws her arms around me. “I don’t want Auntie Fi to go!”
“Me neither!” Skye forces her way onto my lap.
“Hey, come on now, this isn’t goodbye forever. I’ll see you very soon, okay?”
Amber buries her face in my sweater. “Do you promise you’ll come back?”
“I promise, and you can call me anytime, ok? Or how about we write letters? That would be so fun!” I suggest, but Skye and Amber immediately roll their eyes.
Amber wrinkles her nose. “Only old people write letters.”
Cormac snorts beside me, and I subtly elbow him in the side.
