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“Work has been crazy lately,” Tim said.
“You can say that again,” Emily agreed, sighing. “The last week of school is always a madhouse.”
I took a drink of the sweet tea Liv had made. “Sounds like y’all need a vacation.”
Emily darted a glance at her husband. They both smiled sadly before Tim responded, “We haven’t been on a vacation in years.”
Liv’s brow furrowed. “Why not?”
Emily shrugged, looking down at her plate. “We’ve been on a couple of family trips to the beach, but since we don’t have other relatives or anyone we trust to watch Piper, we haven’t gone anywhere by ourselves since before we adopted her.”
“What about dates? You do go on dates, right?” Liv asked.
Emily shook her head as Tim replied, “No.”
My jaw dropped. I gaped at Liv, and her eyes widened in shock. “Well, we have to do something about that.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Tim responded. He grinned at Piper, reaching out to pinch her cheek. “We don’t mind hanging out with Piper all the time. Right, sweetheart?”
“Nonsense,” Liv scoffed. “Parents need a break every once in a while, even if it’s just a weekend getaway. And couples need to have their alone time.”
Emily looked at her husband. “That does sound nice.”
“We could watch Piper for you. We were actually just talking about this the other day; our way of thanking you for everything you’ve done. She could stay a weekend with us so you two can have some alone time,” I stated.
“Can I, Mom? Please?” Piper asked excitedly, perking up in her seat.
The older couple looked at each other with longing, but hesitance flashed across their faces. Tim cleared his throat. “I don’t know. Piper hasn’t stayed with anyone other than us. I don’t want her to be afraid or nervous being away from home.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “I won’t be. I can play with Buttercup, and milk the cows, and feed the pigs, and make ice cream, and—”
“Okay, okay.” Tim chuckled. “Maybe we can arrange something next month.”
“There’s an end of summer carnival coming to town. Maybe we can schedule it for then,” Liv suggested.
Emily smiled. “That sounds like a great idea.”
I grinned. A weekend with just Piper and Liv sounded amazing. I enjoyed our weekly get-togethers with the Andrews, but alone time with my lady and my daughter was definitely more appealing.
Emily perked up. “Oh, and another thing. As you know, Piper’s birthday is right around the corner, and we wanted to invite you to her birthday party. We’re planning it for the first weekend in August.”
“The big one-zero; double digits,” Tim added, playfully wagging his eyebrows at Piper.
My chest tightened. Almost ten years had passed since we’d given Piper up. Ten years of missed birthdays, milestones, and holidays; ten years I’d lost with Liv.
“We wouldn’t miss it,” Liv replied. She darted her gaze to me, then away, trying to hide her emotions from me, but I knew her too well. The slight tremor in her voice combined with her forced smile and glossy eyes gave her away.
“Dad!” Piper’s voice was tinged with exasperation, and her cheeks flushed pink as she kept her eyes on her plate.
Smiling, Tim shrugged. “What? It’s not every day that you turn ten, sweetheart.”
“It’s going to be a very special day,” I added. “Hopefully your best birthday yet.”
Piper grinned before taking a bite.
“How do you like the lasagna, Piper?” Liv asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity.
She looked up at Liv with a smile from ear to ear. “It’s so good. I love it.”
