“You’re a mom.That’s what moms do.”
“That still takes me by surprise, though, that I’m a mother to three and a half kids.”They considered Eli the half, since he was fully grown when he came into their lives, but they loved him like a son.
“It happened a little differently for you, but the feelings are universal.”
“Yes, they are.”
“I’ve been worried that I won’t feel the right things for the baby,” Jimmy said.His wife, Liz, was expecting their first child.
“I felt the same way before my oldest was born,” Vernon said.“What if the baby comes, and I couldn’t care less?But let me tell you… The second you set eyes on a child that’s meant to be yours, it’s all there.”
Sam appreciated the way he said that—a child that’s meant to be yours.“That’s how it happened for me, too.After an hour with Scotty, I knew a million hours would never be enough.Same with the twins.”
“You have a big, loving heart, Jimmy,” Vernon said.“You’re going to be a great dad.”
“That means a lot coming from you.Your kids worship you.”
“They’d better, or I’ll kick their asses.”
“Haha,” Sam said.“As if.”
“I got lucky with some pretty great daughters,” Vernon said, “and you’re lucky with great kids, too, Sam.You and Liz are going to be awesome parents, Jimmy.I know it.Wait till that little face is looking up at you, completely dependent upon you for everything… Even when that little face isn’t an infant anymore, it’s a feeling unlike any other.”
“Truth,” Sam said.“And that they love you despite all your faults—many, manyfaults, in my case.”
“They know how much you love them, Sam,” Vernon said.“You show them that every day while setting a great example of being a high-profile working mom juggling a lot of demands and doing it seamlessly.”
“Right.Seamlessly.If you ask me, all the seams are showing.”
“Not to them.They see a badass mom getting shit done and taking down the bad guys.”
“What he said,” Jimmy added.“They have the coolest mom ever, and they know it.”
“Do you guys get paid extra for these therapy sessions?”
“Nah,” Vernon said on a guffaw.“They’re free of charge because we like you.”
“Aw shucks.”
“So, hey, back to business.”Vernon met her gaze in the mirror.“Everyone’s on edge today, as you can imagine.They want someone inside headquarters with you.”
“Who do they think is coming for me inside?”
“Until we know more about who sent those drones, we’re doubling down across the board.”
Sam didn’t like the idea of agents hovering inside HQ, but she wasn’t about to cause them any trouble when they were dealing with more than enough already.“Whatever you gotta do.I know you’ll stay out of the way.”
“We’ll do our best.”
“Which one of you is coming to Take Your Agent to Work Day?”
“Vernon,” Jimmy said.“I get to stay with the car.”
“I’m not sure which end of that is more boring,” Sam said.
“We’ll compare notes at the end of the day to decide who wins that contest,” Vernon said.
Sam laughed.“Knock yourselves out.”
