Page 95 of Under One Roof

He sighs, grumbling. “I’m not wearing Mickey ears.”

As soon as the kids are done with school, the three of them are hopping on a plane to come to LA so we can spend a week exploring Southern California, including a visit to the Happiest Place on Earth. And he’s absolutely going to be sporting Mickey ears with me.

As big as he is, he’s no match for me.

Although I am no match for his alarms. His watch beeps, and he taps it, telling me, “Time to get up.”

“Noooooooooo.”

“Yeeeeeeeees.” He scoops me up from the bed and carries me into the bathroom, where he starts the shower. He remains all business even as I try to convince him to get under the spray with me, but he reminds me that I need to be at the gate three hours before boarding, and if I don’t get moving, I’ll be late. That’s when I tell him this would all go much faster if he came in here to wash me.

He doesn’t fall for it, and I have to finish showering on my own to the tune of Griffin’s delightful warnings.

“Twelve minutes!”

“Five minutes! Your breakfast is ready!”

“One minute. Get a move on, Andi!”

I throw my backpack over my shoulder and make my way downstairs to learn he filled the rental up with gas last night and loaded our bags already. Griffin hands me a to-go bowl of oatmeal with berries and a drizzle of maple syrup.

“Protein,” I say at the same time he does, earning a stark eyebrow raise. I kiss a grin into his lips then tug on his hand, leading him outside, where Logan and Grace are chatting with Dahlia.

Over the last ten days, my best friend has come to learn why I love my family so much, and I’ve come to understand that I don’t have to sacrifice one dream for another; they just might look different than I thought they would.

Dahlia offers hugs to everyone then ducks into the car to give me time. I start with Logan, kissing the top of his head. Before he can turn away, I catch his elbow, whispering, “I know you’re staying up late playing video games. If your dad figures it out, I doubt you’ll be able to beat him in a footrace to the garbage can. He’ll throw out your Switch.”

His face drains of color, and I let him stew for a moment before I wink, letting him know Griffin won’t be finding out from me. “Be good. I love you.”

“Yeah, okay,” he says quietly then backs up. “Love you too.”

And hearing the kids tell me they love me will never get old. Never.

I hug Grace, squeezing her tight. “I can’t believe next time I see you, you’ll be a middle schooler.”

“Not officially,” she says into my shoulder.

“Yeah, officially. You’re done with elementary school in two weeks. As soon as you walk out of that building, you can say, ‘I’m in sixth grade.’”

She shrugs in agreement, and I kiss her cheek. “Love you.”

“I love you too.”

For the first time, the wordMomfloats through my mind. They’ve never had a woman in their life to call Mom, and even though I’ve only known them a few months, I don’t plan on going anywhere. And…maybe, somebody, they wouldn’t mind calling me Mom. I wouldn’t mind.

In fact, I’d really love it.

I finally turn to Griffin, covering my eyes from the sunshine as I peer up at him. He pivots, so the sun is at my back, and this man…

Too good.

Too perfect.

And all mine.

I hook my hands into his T-shirt. “So, this is goodbye, huh?”

“For now,” he says, palms bracketing my face.

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