“Him too if he can stoop down to my level of cooking.”
She hugs my mom around the waist. “You make better pancakes, Grandma, but don’t tell him that.”
My mom bends and hugs her. “I won’t. Have a good day at school and tell Leia I said hello.”
Lottie and Romy shake their heads from behind my mom.
“What about Kayla?” Wren asks.
“Oh, Kayla too.”
I sigh. “Okay, go give hugs, we’re leaving.”
“No s’mores?” Wren whines.
“Not tonight.”
Wren blows out a breath, and her shoulders fall.
“I’ll make you one to go,” Dad says and disappears outside.
“Thanks for getting all that energy out of Mack.” Brooks holds up his hand for a high five. When Wren goes to hit it, he lifts his hand out of the way, then puts it lower.
“Just let the girl hit your hand,” Romy whines, and we all look over at her. “Lottie already told you, I’m cranky.”
Wren says her long goodbyes, but I don’t rush her. Sometimes I wonder if it’s because she lost her mother and is afraid that when she leaves someone, it might be the last time she sees them.
“Ready?” I ask once she’s all done squeezing everyone, including Mack, who got the biggest hug.
“Ready. I hope Grandpa put two peanut butter cups in my s’more.” She jogs toward the door and steps onto my parents’ deck.
“Check out your property on the way home,” Lottie says, just to annoy me.
I break the distance and head over to my mom. “I don’t want to argue,” I say softly, not wanting to leave without talking to her.
“We’re not arguing. We just have different points of view.”
I wrap her up in a hug, and she puts her arms around me, patting my back.
“I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you too. How long do I have to keep this to myself?”
I pull back from our embrace. “I’m telling Wren tonight. Then I’ll talk to Delaney. I’m sure once the girls go to school, half the town will know, so be prepared for questions.”
“And am I spinning this story?” I swear my sisters lean in. “People might assume you cheated on Kristie.”
“Just tell them I haven’t told you any specifics.”
She nods. “Okay.”
I say my goodbyes, and when I collect Wren from the firepit and my dad, her face is covered in chocolate, and she’s holding a fresh s’more.
“Sorry, I had to redo it. It wasn’t how she likes it.” Dad’s excuse for giving her two.
“Whatever, let’s go.”
I say goodbye to my dad, and we leave. Wren skips ahead around the trail beside the lake.
