The smile that spreads across Liam's face is the only reassurance I need. A reminder that, whatever happens next, we're choosing it together.
"Dad! Tess! You're back!"
Two tween feet and four clawed paws come barreling toward us as we pass through the laundry room into the living area.
"Hey, Roo," Liam says, tossing his arms around his daughter.
At the same time, Sammy leaps toward me, licking up my neck as his feet threaten to take me down.
"I saw you this morning, buddy." I laugh, scratching at the scruff behind his ears.
Liam shakes his head, releasing Ruthie who dives for me next. "You didn't see me," she says. "Dad said you needed help. Is everything okay?"
I peer up to find Liam smiling softly as he brushes Sammy's rogue hairs off his shorts.
Placing my palm on her shoulder, I look Ruthie in the eyes. "Yeah, everything's okay," I say. And this time, I mean it.
"Good." She smiles and heads back toward the kitchen, and I follow, running my palm across Liam's back as I pass him.
"Oh, hey," I say when I see Levi standing at the island, a cup of steaming coffee in his hand.
He instantly sets the mug down and rounds the corner of the counter, walking toward us. "Hey, Tess. How's your sister?" He extends one arm, and I step into it, accepting his hug with Sammy still at my heels. "Liam told me she was in the hospital, but that's really all I got."
"She's fine—figuring it out." He nods, and I grin. "Thanks for asking."
"What's up, man?" Liam steps up behind me and claps his brother on the shoulder. "Thanks for coming."
"Yeah." Levi shrugs, gesturing toward his niece. "Not sure she was too happy I relieved Holloway, though." We both glance back at Ruthie who's back on the couch, her head in her sketchbook.
Liam rubs his forehead and sighs. "Yeah, apparently that's a thing."
Levi scoffs. "And we thought it was the rink we had to worry about."
Liam's gaze meets mine, and I lift my brows in anticipation. "Hey, you think you could let us talk to her?" he asks his brother.
Levi pulls his neck back as his eyes grow wide. "Oh, uh, yeah. Sure—absolutely." He tips his chin down. "Catch ya later, kiddo!" he calls to her.
"Bye!" she yells back.
Levi walks out the door, and the second it clicks shut, Liam turns to me. "You ready?" he whispers.
"I'm nervous," I say honestly, quickly—before I can pretend otherwise.
He steps closer, toe-to-toe with me as he angles his back toward Ruthie and slides his fingers into mine.
"Me too," he admits, his voice still low.
"Really?"
He nods. "A little. But I think that's normal."
I swallow. "Yeah, you're probably right."
The corners of his lips lift as he gestures behind him. His hand slips from mine, and I miss it instantly as I tuck it into the back pocket of my jeans.
"Roo," Liam says, sitting next to his daughter. I fall into the chair he first interviewed me in, my pulse thudding as I brace myself for what's to come. Sammy hops up next to me, wedging himself into the few inches between me and the arm rest. "Can we talk to you for a second?"
"Sure." She shrugs, threading her pencil into the spiral binding of her sketch book and tucking it into her lap.
