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I lift my nose in the air. “And I’m the perfect child.”

“You are the observant and cautious child,” she says, squeezing my hand. “Sometimes, you were too cautious.”

“Yeah, well, do you blame me?”

She shakes her head. “I did worry that you …Weheld you so tight that I feared we emotionally clipped your wings. I sometimes thought we’d never see you soar like we did them. That was as terrifying as it was with the others.”

“I didn’t fly far,” I half-mock myself.

“Because you didn’t have to. You have always known who you were and what you wanted.” She giggles. “And what you didn’t, like the braces your dad caught you removing with a pair of pliers in the garage because you loved bubble gum.”

“Lesson learned. I ended up having them all through high school and my first year of college.”

“Thank God we had good dental insurance.”

“I know Riley’s all getting ready for a wedding and a baby, and even if she can’t, can you and I go away for a weekend?”

“Can we go now?” she jokes … sort of.

We hear the trucks outside.

“Are they plowing?” I ask, and she nods. “We’re closed for three days, and I have four-wheel drive.”

She pops a kiss to my head and slides off the bed. “Gotta keep clear paths.”

“I guess.”

“Love you, but I need to get next-door to see what we’ll need.”

“Are the boys going to Riley’s or is Greer?” I ask.

“I think we should give her a chance to settle in and get comfortable. We can be a lot.” She winks.

“All right then. Love you.”

“Come home for dinner?”

“Depends. Who do you guys have at the house again?”

She laughs as she walks out, calling behind her, “You’ll have to come and find out.”

There’s a brief moment that I consider staying in bed, but that moment gives way to the fact I need to help Mom out, even though she didn’t ask.

I opt to skip my shower, knowing I’ll be putting in some work.

* * *

When I walk out of my room, Kolby pops his head out of his, scaring the hell out of me.

He smiles. “Think I could use your shower?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Not my business, but where you off to?”

I ponder that a moment, let it sit with me because telling himI love that you wanna knowis kinda scary. So, I opt for, “I don’t hate that you asked.”

His lips twitch up. “No?”