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The sounds in the background got louder, then softer, and then loud again.“Hello?Alex?”Abby yelled.

“Give it to Daddy now!”Alex said.“Abby?Are you still there?”

“Yes, what happened?”

“Hudson rolled his toy dump truck in front of me, and I tripped and dropped my phone, and the screen cracked.Then Levi swooped in and grabbed it.”Alex said, huffing and puffing as if he had fought off a bull.

“Is that Mommy?”Hudson and Levi asked.

“Yes,” Alex said.

“Mama!”Abby recognized Emma’s voice.

“We want to talk to her!”Hudson said.

“Okay, give me a second,” Alex said.

Alex put the phone on speaker.“Mommy!We miss you so much,” the kids yelled.

“Oh, my babies, I miss you too,” Abby said, almost laughing out loud.Even though they weren’t on FaceTime, out of habit, Abby grabbed the towel from the floor and held it up to her body.She was still naked from the waist down.

“Daddy doesn’t know how to sing the ‘Baby Shark’ song,” Levi said.

“And he doesn’t make macaroni and cheese the way we like it,” Hudson said.

“I want a hug,” Addison said.

The smile on Abby’s face was brighter than the neon lights on the Las Vegas strip.

“I love you all so much,” Abby said.

“Okay, let me finish talking to Mommy, and then I’ll read you all a story,” Alex said.

“Bye, Mommy,” Addison said.

“Come home,” Hudson said.

“Hold on,” Alex said, taking her off speaker.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“For what?”

“I didn’t want to burden you with how much we need you here,” Alex said.

“I’m glad I know.Thank you for giving me this time, though.”

“I love you.Take all the time you need.Well, maybe not all of it.”Alex laughed.“Now I get how much easier my job is than yours.”

“I appreciate you saying that,” Abby said.

“Thankyoufor all you do.”

“I love you,” Abby said, then noticed that a text from Greg came across the screen of her phone.She quickly swiped up to get rid of it, as if Alex could see it from where he was.“Should I come home for a quick visit?”she asked.

“That’ll be harder on the kids when you leave again.We’re fine, don’t worry.”

“You’re the best,” Abby said.