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“Okay!” She runs off down the hall as I throw on my cargo shorts from yesterday and meet her in the bathroom. I use my finger to bush while she uses her pink toothbrush and we whisper as we brush and rinse. She giggles at my improvised brushing method and I can’t help but think how adorable she is and that I know exactly where she gets it.
We head to the kitchen and gather eggs, bacon and some pancake mix since Ireland has informed me she does not eat eggs. Duly noted.
We have the bacon cooking when the most adorable sight—next to the little blond helping me cook—I have ever seen walks into the room. Emily walks into the room with her hair all a mess wearing a baggy t-shirt and those damn yoga pants. She is rubbing her eyes and looks confused.
“What is going on out here you two?”
“Mommy, we’re making you breakfast!”
“You are?”
“Yep, bacon and eggs but Jonafon is making me pancakes ‘cause I don’t like the icky eggs.”
“What can I do to help?” she asks still looking confused.
“Not a thing, there’s a pot of coffee on if you want some. I can pour it for you and you can take your time waking up. Food should be done here pretty soon. Sorry if we woke you up.”
Emily shuffles into the kitchen, gets a coffee cup out of the cupboard and pours herself a cup. As she sips her coffee, she walks over to me and steals a piece of bacon off the plate on the counter and says thank you.
“Mommy, Jonafon did a sleepover!”
“He did,” Emily confirms apprehensively looking at me.
“Can he stay over again tonight? I pwomised him he could borrow a stuftie tonight if he sleeps over again.”
“We’ll see, sweetie,” Emily says to Ireland. She’s looking at me but I can’t read her face. I don’t know if she’s trying to tell me something or not.
“How do you like your eggs?”
“Scrambled please,” they both say together. It’s cute to see Ireland answer for her momma.
“Comin’ right up.”
As I finish cooking, the girls set the table—Emily still not able to comprehend that I’m still here, cooking her breakfast and Ireland bouncing with glee to have me here—and then we all settle in at the kitchen table and eat up. Ireland talks the entire time. There is a lot that she’s talking about that’s going way over my head but I just play along. At one point Emily catches my eye and mouths ‘sorry’ to me but I give her a wink back because there is nothing to be sorry about. I haven’t felt this light in years.
Emily helps me clean up the table and then I kick her out of the kitchen.
“I got this. You go finish your coffee and figure out what we’re going to do today.”
“You don’t have to stay, Jonathan, you can get back to your own life. We don’t want to keep you.”
She really doesn’t get why I’m still here.
“Darlin’ there is no place I would rather be.”
I love the hint of pink that lands on her cheeks after my comment. Just knowing I have an effect on her is all I need to strengthen my hope that we can have more.
Skeptically she asks, “You sure?”
“Yep,” I say to her and then louder to them both I say, “So ladies what are we going to do today?”
“Let’s go to the zoo!” Ireland yells jumping up and down.
“Baby Girl, we really shouldn’t be out spending money. Let’s just have another movie day here.”
Not this again, Gracie.
She starts to fidget with her necklace and it’s clear she’s uncomfortable. I guess I need to make things clear like I did back in the day.
