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“If I take another day off, it leaves you in a lurch.Besides, Ilikethis schedule.”
“I’ll only agree with this if you take a day, every other week, to yourself.You can go to the spa or go hang out with Millie or, shit, I don’t care if you go sit in that fancy condo on the ski hill all day, but you’ll have some time for yourself.With the kids out of school, there won’t be any of that, and you’ll need it.”
“Okay.”I nod slowly, looking over the schedule.“I’ll figure it out.”
“Good.I like it.You’re right, they do best with a routine.”
“I do, too,” I admit with a smile.“Without it, it’s nothing but chaos, and I can’t deal with that.”
“Are you about done in here?”
“For now.”I stand and turn off the desk lamp, then circle the desk and walk into Rem’s arms for a big hug.The two of us have gotten into our own routine with each other, and this is part of it.
After the kids go to bed, and the house is quiet, Remington seeks me out, and I get the best bear hug the world has ever seen.
It’s almost as good as the sex, and that’s saying a lot.
And the hug almost always leads to the sex.
“Ilovethe pretty Barbie doll and clothes we got for Aurora,” Holly says from the back seat.She’s so freaking cute in her pink dress, totally appropriate for the pink-themed party and dress code that came on the invitation.Her hair is up in braids again, which seems to be her go-to these days.I don’t mind.It gives us some time to chat and be together without any of the boys.Pink ribbons are tied at the bottom of the braids, and the big, pink gift bag is on the seat next to her.
“I like that one, too,” I agree.“She’s pretty.”
“Maybe I’ll add her to my birthday wish list.”
“Whenisyour birthday, Holly?”
“June twentieth.”
That’s just a couple of weeks away.How do I not know their birthdays?
“And when is Johnny’s?”
“December twenty-third.He thinks it’s lame because people try to combine his birthday and Christmas gifts into one gift.”
“Yeah, that’s kind of lame.Have you thought about what you want for your birthday party?”
“I want a princess party,” she says with excitement.“I want my friends to wear pretty princess dresses.And we can ride a horse from the barn.”
“I think that’s hard to do in a princess dress, but I like the idea of seeing if we can get the ranch hands to help us give rides, if it’s okay with your friends’ moms and dads.”
“Yeah!And we can have a pretty princess cake and flowers and balloons.”
I should have started planning this a month ago.I can’tbelieveI never thought to ask when their birthdays are.
With the help of GPS, I find my way to Aurora’s house and park on the street.I help Holly out of the back and pass her the gift so she can be the one to give it to her friend.
There’s a sign that says to walk around to the backyard, so that’s what we do, and I’ve never seen anything so adorable.There’s a photo booth that looks like a Barbie box, where the girls can stand in it and look like a Barbie themselves.
The cake is, of course, a Barbie cake, and all the people here, big and small, are dressed in bright pink.
Even I found a cute pink top at Polly’s shop for the occasion.
“Oh, it’s so pretty,” Holly says with excitement and then runs over to Aurora to offer the girl her gift.
“We’ll add that to the table,” Aurora’s mom, Christine, says with a smile.“Thank you so much for this beautiful gift.”
“You’re welcome,” Holly says shyly, and then Aurora takes her hand, and they run off to play.
