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What if Marcie choked on a sandwich and no one in the hospital could save her?

Yeah, that one felt farfetched, even for me.

“Hello!”A deep voice echoed through the house.

Didn’t Marcie say Darren was down in San Diego for a week for training?Is he home early?Oh God, what if it’s an intruder?I have to protect the kids.

Okay…but an intruder wouldn’t announce themselves.

Right?

I took a leap.“In the family room.”Before the words were out of my mouth, Wally had squirmed out of the towel I held him in.Little damp shit of a dog was gone.

And since I didn’t have an elegant way to get up, and was too fucking tired anyway, I just sat there.Like a lump.

“Uncle Jeremy!”Raphael tossed off their towel, leapt up, and headed toward the front door.

Okay.How did you not recognize his voice?How, in all your calculations, had it not occurred to you that Jeremy might come here?Because…somehow, in my mind, he was still in LA.

I was about to try to get up when Wally returned and barreled into me.Great…now I’m going to smell even more like wet dog.

“Hey Phillip, how’s it going?”Jeremy entered the room with Raphael on his hip.

“Uh…it’s a super long story.How’s your mom?You know about her, right?”

He nodded.“Yeah.I spoke to Marcie a couple of hours ago—when she was finally able to reach me.Sorry, I should’ve texted or called you.I just…” He sighed.“It’s been a really long day.Anyway, I went straight to the hospital.Mom’s fine.Grouchy that they’re keeping her for the night.She fainted and although the doctors suspect they know why, they want to keep her overnight for observations.She’s seventy and they’re just being careful.Which I have no problem with,” he was quick to assure me.

“Marcie’s bringing Dad home.They’re packing him a bag, and he’s coming to stay here for the night.”

“Oh.”My mind whirled.“So she’s going to need the spare room back.”

“Yeah…which was why she sent me ahead.She apologized, but she’s wondering if you and Wally would mind coming back to my place?”

Mind?Oh God, I so don’t mind.“No, that’s no problem.I sort of assumed I was here temporarily.I mean, I should be able to stay on my own?—”

“But you’ll never have to.”Jeremy kissed Raphael’s temple.“Time for bed, nibblet.”

“No.Wait for Mom.”

“Ah, I figured as much.About thirty minutes.You’re going to be grumpy in the morning.”

“No.Won’t.”Again, with the absolute certainty only a five-year-old could have.

Jeremy slid Raphael off his hip and to the ground.Then, he gazed around, apparently taking in the chaos of wet man, wet child, wet dog, and damp towels.Oh, and the blazing fire.“You realize it’s ninety degrees outside?”

“We are aware.”

“And there’s this handy invention called thehairdryer?”

“I knew I was missing a piece.”I snapped my finger.“I never use the damn thing, so no, it didn’t occur to me.”

Jeremy leaned over to feather my hair.“You are perfect just the way you are.If I don’t use the hairdryer, bad things happen to my do.”

“You love Phillip.”Raphael poked their head directly between Jeremy and me.“And you love Uncle Jeremy.”

My eyes widened.

Right along with Jeremy’s.