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The doorbell rang, and Farrah said, “That must be the pizza. Can you go tell Mom and Cora to come to the table?” She began walking toward the door. “Boys, turn that thing off and wash your hands.”

Smiling, I got up from the table, walking back down the hallway toward the bedrooms. I could hear Cora and Jenna playing together farther down the hall. But on the way, I looked through the open bedroom doors.

The first room looked more mature, with darker bedding and furniture. The next one had an entire back wall basically papered in drawings. Andrew’s. I smiled slightly. And on the left, I noticed a cozy room with twinkle lights along the ceiling. A white bed frame with soft pink bedding.

Farrah’s space.

I smiled at it, and if she was with me right now, I’d walk inside, take a closer look at the photos she had on her nightstand, along with the stack of books lying there. I wanted to know everything about her life here. But I needed to respect her privacy, so I continued to the back room.

Cora and Jenna sat on the floor, playing with dolls around a small table. Her bed was shaped like a little house with lights and flowers wrapped around the frame. On the door, I noticed a drawing in Andrew’s style that said PRINCESS CORA.

I smiled at it before knocking on the open door. “Hate to interrupt you two, but pizza’s here.”

Cora immediately dropped her stuffed animal and jumped up, sprinting past me toward the table as she yelled, “PIZZA!”

Jenna and I chuckled at her as she whizzed by, leaving the two of us alone. I walked over to her, extending my hand to help her up.

She gripped it with both of her own. “I don’t know why the floor seems so much lower than it used to.”

I laughed. “Looks like you two had fun in here.”

She glanced down at all the stuffed animals and dolls scattered on the floor. “It’s a mess—that’s how you know you had a good time.”

I chuckled, walking with her back to the table, where everyone was sitting with paper towels for plates. It brought back memories of growing up on the days when Mom didn’t want to do dishes, and I smiled at the thought.

There were good memories of my childhood. I found myself hoping that someday I could make good memories with my parents again.

“Can Gage sit by me?” Andrew asked.

Cora whined. “I wanted him to sit by me.”

Farrah gave them an exasperated look. “You know he can sit by both of you, right? That is, if he wants to.”

“Of course,” I said. As they played musical chairs, I grabbed a couple slices of pepperoni, then sat between them.

The first bite of pizza had my mouth watering it was so good. “Where did you get this?” I asked, glancing toward the box.

“The gas station near here has the best pizza,” Farrah said with a blush. “I know that doesn’t make it sound appetizing, but...” She shrugged.

Jenna said, “You’re probably used to eating high-dollar pizza, right, Gage?”

“I don’t usually eat pizza,” I admitted. My nutritionist worked with my chef service, so I mostly had my meals chosen for me unless I was eating out with a business contact or my siblings. “But this is as good as it gets.” I took another bite.

Levi housed his first piece and was already working on a second. “Our coach says we should be eating healthier this summer so we don’t derail our training.”

Farrah said, “That’s probably a good idea. I have some salad in the fridge if you want it.”

He pushed back from the table and walked to the fridge. “It’s half full—can I eat it in the bag?”

“Less dishes for me,” Farrah said with a smile.

He came back to the table, holding the bag with ranch dressing drizzled inside.

“How’s summer ball going?” I asked. I missed watching him play online.

Levi said, “It’s good. We have a really good team.”

“Will you be at shortstop again?” I asked.