Page 39

“Nope.”

“Sandra?”

Mom winks at me. “I’ll hate watching you leave.”

My heart clenches and I look at my hands as they twist a napkin.

“But I will enjoy every moment of watching you take flight again.”

I look up at my mom.

“I’ve enjoyed having you close, Emmie—watching you and Addy with the kids. But you’re both meant for something other than living in rural Kansas. It’spartof you. But it’s only a part. And that’s okay. It’s time for you to fly. Don’t worry so much about the landing. You have someone who will cushion your fall, and the kids have you to catch them.”

“You’ve been expecting this, haven’t you?”

“I can’t claim I expected you to move to New York. But I know you.”

“I still worry.”

“I know you do,” Mom says. “But I think it’s time you accept who you are. To the kids, you’re Mom—you will always beMom. They’ll be horrified by the attention you get—by hearing someone say their mother is sexy or she’s someone’s crush.”

I chuckle.

“But they’ll also be proud of you. This is their reality. They have two beautiful, talented, and famous women as parents—two women who love each other and love them more than anything. And as they grow, if you’re honest with them, they’ll come to see you as both the mom who raised them and the woman behind her. Just like you do with me. And as much as they will always be your babies, you’ll take pride in the people they become. Just like I do with you.”

“Mom.”

Mom clears her throat, takes the last sip of her coffee, and slides out of her chair.

“Are you leaving?” I ask.

“I have a few things I want to do before your wife and my husband walk through the door with three muddy kids and a bucket full of creatures,” she says, leaning down to kiss my cheek.

I laugh.

“Enjoy your bath,” Mom says.

“Mom?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Emmie.”

“I think Daniel might find a hiding place so he can stay here with Auntie Em,” Tamara says and bursts into laughter. “Your parents didn’t think that through, did they?”

I’d love to believe my parents never shared a laugh over the reality that one day I would become Auntie Em from Kansas. While I’m confident it wasn’t the reason they named me Emma, I’m also sure they’ve enjoyed more than a few jokes at my expense. “At least they didn’t name me Dorothy,” I reply.

Sandra laughs. “Good thing. I’m sure Tam would have bought you a basket instead of a bassinet if they had.”

“Nah. But I would love to see Emma try to put King in her bicycle basket,” Tamara says.

Christie smacks Tamara’s arm.

“What?” Tamara asks.

“Aunt Em?” Daniel asks.