Sorry it's been so long!
"Good job," Erin praised, smoothing some of Liam's hair back as he hungrily sucked on his bottle, "You're Mama's little lion, aren't you?" She brought her lips to his soft forehead and inhaled deeply. Sometimes, she couldn't believe it. Four and a half months ago, Liam and Ryan were rumbling in her belly and here they were, nearly five months later, with two earth side healthy baby boys.
It certainly hadn't been easy. She and Jay were still averaging less than five hours of sleep a night between two teething babies and one nightmare prone eleven year old. Juggling busy careers and day care and homework made it difficult to find one-on-one time with any of her kids, but especially her partner.
So when Jay took Ryan for a bath following a diaper blow out and Piper was upstairs getting ready for bed herself, Erin savored the moments with Liam. He was certainly the louder of the twins – her little lion. When Jay made a joke that their son roared and held him above his head like Simba, the lion moniker stuck.
Erin swallowed at the memory. It was hazy, and felt like a dream. And it practically was. At just a few weeks after the boys' arrival, she was in the thick of postpartum hormones. She was barely sleeping and functioning, but hearing her little girl's genuine giggle at her exhausted partner's antics was a light at the end of the tunnel.
She looked up at the sound of soft footsteps coming down the steps. "Hi sweet girl," Erin greeted, offering a smile to her daughter. "I was just giving Liam his bedtime bottle."
Piper smiled shyly. "You're a really good mom," she said softly, shifting on her bare feet, "You know that, right?"
Erin widened her eyes slightly. Her little girl was always sweet, but the unexpected compliment made her pause. "'cause you love your kids," Piper clarified, taking a seat beside her mommy and little brother on the couch. She leaned over to kiss the top of Liam's head. "Me and the boys, we always know you love us."
She managed a nod and kissed the top of Piper's wet head. "Always," she managed, "I love you. So, so much."
When Piper snuggled into her side with content, it was all she could do not to burst at the seams. Two years ago, she had no idea the precious child existed. A year and a half ago, Erin wasn't sure if she would ever be able to fully get through to the little girl who had been through so much unimaginable trauma. A year ago, she wasn't sure how they would ever integrate another child into their family without making Piper feel like an outsider. Six months ago, she was consumed with anxiety over adding not one, but two babies into their family when so much of their energy revolved around Piper's needs.
And yet her little girl thought she was a good mom. The same little girl who didn't have a mommy to bounce and rock and soothe and love her from the moment she emerged into the world. The same little girl who missed out on the snuggles and baby bottles that her little brothers were able to soak up.
The moments she had now were so incredibly special.
Liam's eyes fluttered as he slowly succumbed to sleep, his belly full of milk and his hair full of kisses. "Daddy fell asleep in the rocking chair with Ryan," Piper whispered, resting her head against Erin's shoulder, "He gave him the bottle in the bath 'cause it's the only way he doesn't scream."
Erin snorted lightly. Giving Ryan a bottle during his bath was one of Jay's favorite 'dad hacks'. While her red-headed son was typically more agreeable, there were a few instances where he made his displeasure known – specifically in the car, or in the bath. "Daddy fell asleep too, huh?"
Piper nodded. "He rocked them both to sleep," she said knowingly, "He had a busy day, I think."
"Mm," Erin mused, stroking some of Piper's hair back, "Do you think you can help me get all the boys in bed? Then you and me can have some girl time, just the two of us." She beamed when Piper's eyes lit up. "Which one do you want to take?"
"I can get Ryan," Piper determined, "'cause you might have to wake up Daddy. He was snoring."
Erin smiled again. They'd reached a rhythm with the boys. Jay would drop the boys at daycare and Piper at school in the morning while Erin got a head start in the office. She would pick up Piper and the boys mid-afternoon and bring them all home before continuing to work for a few hours while Piper did her homework and the boys took their afternoon naps.
It was a rhythm, but it was exhausting.
And now that Piper was done with school for the summer, the routine they established was going to change. Piper was headed to middle school in the fall but off for the summer time, which meant they needed to find a place for her to spend the day. The current plan was for Piper to go to a soccer day camp in the mornings and for Jay to pick her up early for a few hours before the boys were ready from daycare. However, the year prior they'd arranged for a summer camp that Piper never made it to.
"I'll wake up Daddy," Erin promised, pressing a kiss to the top of Piper's head, "Then it's just you and me."
Erin leaned against the kitchen countertop and let out a breath. It was the first day of their new summer morning routine and while it wasn't a huge departure from their school year routine, her anxiety was through the roof.
"I'm rethinking this," Erin said as she tucked a full water bottle into the side of Piper's backpack, "You think this is the right call?"
Jay looked up from daycare bags he was packing for Liam and Ryan. For two little people, they certainly required a lot of items for a few hours. "Rethinking daycare?"
"Rethinking soccer camp," she clarified, leaning against the kitchen counter, "Rethinking sending Piper to soccer camp for the whole day. It's really hot out there, and our kid has a history of concussions. What if she takes a ball to the head? Or another kid's foot?"
He zipped the diaper bag and turned his attention to his fiancé. "Babe-"
"I know I'm overthinking it," Erin interrupted, shaking her head, "I know that. Sending her to school is one thing, but this is…this is totally new. What if-"
"There are a thousand what ifs," Jay said gently, placing his fingers on top of hers, "We can't protect her from everything. And she wanted to do this, right? That's huge for her. Plus, it's only a couple of hours. She gets picked up at lunch."
She blew out a breath and nodded. "And then she's at the district with you or Platt or Hank." Erin sighed again. "I don't love that either."
"One step at a time," he reasoned, "Camp wasn't even an option last year, remember? Now she's getting ready upstairs, and I for one think it's going to go great. The fact that Caroline has been before helps as well." Jay smiled when Erin managed a small nod at the memory. The year before, attempting to get Piper into a simple day camp led to a full-fledged panic attack. This year, her little girl was cautiously excited about learning more about soccer after Caroline Chase, her former foster sister, had raved about it. It was her mommy who was anxious beyond belief about letting her little girl out of her sight.
Erin pulled open the metal door when the buzzer sounded. It wasn't lost on her that she used to scan in and was now requesting access to the bullpen from her former boss, but she wasn't really thinking about that (even though Platt liked to tease her about it every time).
Work hadn't been great. It wasn't that she wasn't doing well – it was the opposite. For a kid who barely graduated high school, Erin found herself in rooms with people who were arguably far more qualified to be there than she was, namely due to the number of degrees hanging on their office walls. The work she was doing was interesting, for the most part. It was rewarding to know that her efforts were resulting in more teams on the ground and hopefully less terrorism across the United States and even the world, but it was a totally different area of work than she ever thought she'd find herself in.
There were no Kevlar vests or midnight raids or covert operations for her to partake in. She traded in that life when her father figure called to let her know that there was a timid little girl in the protection of CPD that was likely her biological sister, and even though Erin would do it a thousand times over, she still missed it.
It was the monotony and mind-numbing aspect of paperwork that got to her. She hated paperwork back in her CPD days, and the piles of forms and items to fill out or check off had only increased with the added responsibility of her new title. It allowed her mind to wander and worry which was exactly what she was trying to avoid.
So instead of opening up yet another document, she closed her laptop and headed for one of the few places she could go to feel more like herself. She'd been hoping to find Jay, but upon entering her former place of work, she only saw empty desks.
"You looking for Halstead?" Ruzek asked, poking his head out of the breakroom with a cup of coffee in his hand, "Left about an hour ago."
Erin resisted the urge to sigh heavily. Jay could always bring her back. Just being around him allowed her to feel more like herself and less of the paper-pushing desk jockey she'd turned into. "Darn," she managed, forcing herself a cordial smile, "Sorry for interrupting, I can-"
"Erin, hey!" Kim Burgess offered a wide smile as she entered the breakroom. "Jay and Hailey went out for an interview and then to pick up Piper. Soccer camp, right?"
Erin nodded slowly. "Soccer camp," she said with an exhale, taking a seat at Jay's desk, "Soccer camp."
"Kid's going to be great," Ruzek piped up, passing Erin a mug of coffee, "Jay wouldn't shut up about how fast she is when I got stuck with him last week. Don't know how Upton does it."
She managed another smile. Jay could certainly brag about Piper. "I think he's convinced she's going to be some type of Olympic athlete." Erin took a careful sip of coffee, "Already caught him trying to get Liam and Ryan to play with a baby soccer ball." She sighed. "Guess it's good he's not thinking football. That isn't happening."
Erin raised her eyebrows slightly when her former coworkers just looked at her. "What?" she asked, self-consciously adjusting her work blouse, "You think football is a good idea?"
Kim shook her head quickly. "It's just that you are insanely protective," Adam said honestly. He raised his hands slightly when Erin scowled and Kim elbowed him in the ribs. "It's not a criticism."
"Certainly sounds like one," she scoffed, "I'm their mother, Adam."
"And you're a really great mom," Kim clarified, "And none of us are parents yet. And we know how stressful the past few months have been-"
"We?" Erin interrupted, "Is Jay involved in this 'we'?"
"No," Kim and Adam said in the same breath. "We're worried about him too," Kim continued, "Both of you are incredible parents, Erin. Really. We just want you to take care of yourselves also."
Erin opened her mouth to refute, but her breath caught when she heard a joyous giggle.
She knew that giggle.
It was one of her favorite sounds in the entire world.
In the almost two years she had been a part of Piper's life, Erin found herself using her baby sister's sweet giggles as a way to truly gauge how she was feeling. At first, it was only Jay who could get a smile on their little girl's lips. Piper had been through so much and was incredibly reserved – and rightfully so.
As Piper grew more comfortable in their home, she was giggling more often. She got a kick out of teasing Jay in the kitchen and the goofy looks he would give her. A giggly Piper was a happy, secure and adjusting Piper.
But their lives over the past few months had been marked by intense turmoil. Piper was forced to adjust and readjust to what felt like a thousand different scenarios – her mommy and daddy preparing for a baby, preparing for two, hospital stays and sleepless nights…the list went on. While Piper had done her very best to be as grown up as possible, Erin saw the side effects. Her baby struggled to smile and rarely laughed, even when Erin tried her hardest. Piper was once again shy and stoic - a complete reversal of the child in her home a few months before.
Hearing that incredible little giggle brought tears to Erin's eyes because it meant that her sweet baby was on her way back. She'd seen the signs of slow progression – Piper was smiling more and giggled here and there when she and Jay attempted jokes – but this was all Piper. Her precious daughter.
"Mommy!"
It was all Erin could do to keep her eyes dry. Her little girl's cheeks were slightly pink from the sun, wisps of her light brown hair escaping the braids Jay had fastened early that morning. She was still clad in her soccer outfit but wore a wide smile across her lips. "Hi, sweet girl," she managed, forcing a smile for her daughter's sake despite the fact that she was simmering from Kim and Adam's comments, "Did you have fun?"
Piper nodded excitedly. Jay gave a proud nod and smoothed some of his little girl's hair back before offering a grin to his fiancé.
"It was so fun," Piper told her excitedly as she hurried across the bullpen to her mommy, "Caroline was my camp buddy and we got to be partners for a lot of the games. And she sat with me for the games I couldn't play."
Erin immediately bristled after dropping a kiss atop her little girl's head. "You couldn't play some of the games?" She looked up at Jay, who shook his head. He hadn't heard about Piper being unable to play some of the games.
"Yeah." Piper shrugged her shoulders, "Coach Nelson said so. I couldn't play the goalie game or games where the balls go really high."
"It was just you who couldn't play?" Jay asked carefully, "Did Coach Nelson say why?"
"Caroline sat with me," she replied, shrugging again, "Coach Nelson said I just gotta be extra careful."
Erin felt her body flush. She was the reason her child couldn't partake in the normal soccer camp games.
Dropping Piper off at the soccer field was just as gut wrenching as dropping off the boys at daycare for the first time. Her little girl looked so small in comparison to the other camp goers and despite Piper's cautious optimism and willingness to attend, Erin was a mess of nerves. She pulled the coach aside, who was a lovely young woman that played collegiate soccer, and firmly insisted that Piper be monitored closely, and kept as safe as possible.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Erin croaked, "I think…I think Coach Nelson was just listening to me. Because I…I didn't want you to get hurt." She found Jay's gaze again. His eyes had shifted from concern for Piper to concern for her.
Piper looked up at her mommy in confusion. "You didn't want me to play?" she asked softly.
"I didn't want you to be hurt," she managed, stroking Piper's hair back carefully, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that me talking with Coach Nelson would mean you couldn't play some of the games. I just-" Erin paused to swallow the lump in her throat.
"You're worried?" Piper looked from her mommy to her daddy. "I wasn't upset about camp. It was good."
"I know," Erin rasped, "It's…it's me. Me being worried and overprotective of you because-"
"-cause you love me," Piper supplied, "I know you love me." She gave a small smile. "You don't like seeing me hurting. Just like I don't like seeing you hurting."
"Look, look, Ryan is doing a push up!" Piper squealed, pointing excitedly at her little brother who was on his tummy on the baby playmat, gummy smile on his lips, "Good job, little man." She patted his back carefully. "Good job."
"He's doing a push up?" Erin hurried out of the laundry room with Liam in her arms after yet another diaper change. Picking up the boys from daycare early was just the distraction that she needed. At four months old, they were developing more and more personality each day. "Babe! Come look at this!"
"By himself?" Jay hustled down the steps with a laundry basket. "No way. Look at him go."
"He's so strong," Piper said proudly. She was lying on her stomach as well, showing her little brother all of the animal toys that he and Liam shared. "I think he wants the turtle." Piper held out the stuffed animal and widened her eyes while Ryan babbled.
"I think he's trying to talk," Erin said excitedly, crouching down onto the floor with Liam, "Look at you, little man."
"He's trying to up his reps," Jay joked, flexing his arms slightly, "I think he's been watching me in the morning."
"Are you trying to be like your daddy?" Erin cooed, "Have you been waking up to spot him?" She grinned when Liam attempted to get onto the floor beside his brother. With the boys waking up early, Jay took the opportunity to give them their morning bottles while he squeezed in a workout in their basement. It allowed Erin at least a few minutes of extra sleep which she always needed. "I think Liam wants to try as well."
Piper grinned widely as Liam gurgled, concentration evident on his tiny features. "He's tryin' so hard," she said, "C'mon buddy. You can do it. Watch me." She laid down on her stomach and slowly propped herself up on her arms to demonstrate. "Your turn."
Ryan babbled again and reached out for Piper with one chubby hand. "Here's the turtle." She immediately frowned when Liam's features wrinkled. "Oh, buddy. It's okay. You can have the lion. Here."
Piper looked up at Erin when Liam began to cry. "He really wants the turtle, I think," she said, gesturing to the green stuffed turtle that Ryan was putting in his mouth, "They both want it."
"Boys are going to have to learn to share," Jay chuckled, passing Erin a stuffed giraffe that he was hoping Liam would tolerate. "They've got enough stuffed animals to fill a zoo."
"I wonder if they would like some of the stuffed animals I have," Piper said thoughtfully, "'cause the turtle came from when Hailey took me to the aquarium. I'll be right back." She pushed herself off the floor and scurried up the steps.
"How did we get the most generous little bug on the planet?" Erin mused, shaking the giraffe in an attempt to quell Liam's cries, "Shh, bud. It's okay."
"Maybe Ry will be down for the giraffe," Jay suggested, carefully extracting the soggy turtle from his son's lips. The second the turtle moved, Ryan erupted into tears. "Guess not."
Erin reached down to lift Ryan up, causing him to cry even louder. "Aw, bubba," she cooed, "Shh."
"I got a bunch of stuff to try," Piper called from the steps. Her little arms were full of stuffed animals. "Maybe we can find something else they both like." She held out a stuffed shark to Ryan. "What about this guy, Ry?" Piper frowned when Ryan continued to cry. "Okay, what about a tiger? No?"
"Thank you for trying, kiddo," Jay praised, lifting a tearful Liam into his arms, "Maybe they're both just in bad moods." He held his son up. "He's dry."
"Ryan's dry too," Erin confirmed. She settled her baby boy against her chest in the hopes he'd quiet. "What's goin' on, little man? You really want that turtle?"
"I think he just wanted you," Piper said with a small smile, pointing to how Ryan's cries had dwindled, "I bet both the boys want to be with you. And you used the turtle for a pillow when you told me stories last night."
Erin's heart leapt. "I'm not sure-"
"Let's test out the Mama theory," Jay determined, carefully shifting a squirming Liam onto the other side of Erin's chest. Almost instantly the baby quieted, a soft exhale of content leaving his pink lips. "I think you nailed it. Boys just wanted Mama, huh?"
"Do you want to talk about what happened today?"
Erin looked up from Ryan who was sleepily drinking from his nighttime bottle. Jay had Liam against one shoulder and was gently patting his back while he rinsed the dinner dishes. They'd avoided the subject for long enough, but now that Piper was in the shower getting ready for bed, they needed to have the conversation. "Not really," she muttered, carefully brushing some of her son's strawberry hair from his forehead, "But we should."
Jay abandoned the dishes and pressed a kiss to Liam's soft head. "All the kids had good days," he offered, "Good naps, good poops reports from daycare."
She nodded and carefully removed the empty bottle from Ryan's lips. "They're growing up so fast," she whispered, "Pretty soon they're going to be talking and walking and-"
"And it'll be tougher to keep 'em like this." Jay nodded slowly before taking a seat beside his fiancé on their couch. "They're safe here."
Erin nodded again. "I think I take out all my anxiety on Piper." She let out a heavy breath. "I can't stop myself from imagining every worst case scenario, all the time." She swallowed. "I thought I was the chill parent."
Jay chuckled lightly and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "I don't think our kids have a chill parent." He offered a small smile. "We've got reasons to worry, babe. I get it, trust me."
"But we baby her," she croaked, "The teacher said it and even Kim and Adam mentioned something today about how crazy I've been and-"
"The books say to parent your child for the age they are developmentally," Jay interrupted carefully, "We know Pipes missed out on all of those baby years. Nobody was worrying about her. We're trying to fill those gaps as best we can and yeah, to some people it might look like we're babying her, but that's because she wasn't babied when she was supposed to be."
Erin sniffed. "But I probably shouldn't be keeping her from doing all the things other kids are doing."
"You made a call as her mom," he reasoned, "I know you feel guilty that she had to sit out today, but she can play tomorrow. We're not always going to make the right calls, right?"
She nodded and exhaled again. "Thank you," she murmured, "For…for just being here. Knowing me. What I needed to hear."
Jay leaned over to press a kiss to the side of her head. "What I'm here for."
"There's a game on Friday?" Erin asked, eyes wide, "Noodle didn't say anything about a game." She reached for her phone immediately navigated to her email after her partner's comment about Piper's first soccer game.
By all accounts, sending Piper to camp was a success. Their little girl was reporting fun days and new friends, which was honestly well above what Erin's original expectations had been. Piper was a normal little girl, growing up before her very eyes.
"I heard about it at pick up from Allison Chase," Jay replied, gently bouncing Liam in his bouncy seat, "When I asked Pipes about it, she didn't seem too fazed. I don't think she realizes that families are invited to watch."
"Or she knows that we're invited but didn't want to tell us." Erin exhaled heavily, "Think about it, babe. She already knows that she has to go to work with you until the boys are done at daycare. She knows that you're busy studying for the test and that I'm-" She waved her hand flippantly. "I'm serious, Jay. I think she's keeping it from us on purpose."
Jay wrinkled his brow. His little girl usually trusted him with information. He couldn't fathom his daughter keeping a secret from him.
And then he paused.
Piper's last name was Halstead, but her genes were Lindsay. There was a reason that Erin immediately jumped to the conclusion that Piper knew about the game but wasn't saying anything intentionally.
"You don't think she wants us there?" he hedged, "Or-"
"I think she wants us there but doesn't want to tell us she wants us there because she doesn't want us to say no or have to rearrange our schedules to be there." Erin exhaled again. "I um…I used to do it to Camille. And Hank. But mostly Camille." She swallowed the lump in her throat when Jay's eyes softened. "She would have quit her job if I told her that I was reading an essay in front of the entire school," she explained, "Camille…I know she would have. And I knew that if I told her about the essay she would want to come. And if she couldn't come, she'd feel so guilty and I didn't want her to feel like that. I was the kid from the street for crying out loud."
"What do you think she would have done if she found out?"
Erin opened her mouth but closed it to keep her lip from quivering. "She…she would have shown up." She swallowed again. "She would have shown up, with Hank, begrudgingly, and probably even Justin, more begrudgingly." Erin managed a wistful smile. The short essay she wrote that her English teacher asked her to read on stage at the class assembly was likely decomposing in a landfill outside the city. Reading it in front of the whole school had her stomach in knots and she had managed to convince herself that she was going to screw it up.
Jay tucked some loose hair behind her ear. "We should show up," he murmured, "Hank will be fine with it."
Piper's jaw dropped when she saw both her mommy and her daddy coming across the soccer field. She couldn't believe it. Her mommy and daddy had work while she was at camp, just like they had work when she was at school. They had busy jobs and schedules, and when her mommy dropped her off at the start of camp, Piper had no idea they would both be coming back early.
"Hey kiddo," Jay greeted, offering a wide smile, "Everything's okay. We're just here to watch you play."
Erin squeezed Jay's hand in appreciation. He knew their little bug well, and understood that both of her parents appearing without warning could give their anxious daughter some unnecessary worry. Her heart just about burst when Piper wrapped her arms around her waist and held closely. "We wouldn't miss it, Noodle bug," Erin rasped, squeezing her daughter tightly, "Not your first soccer game."
Piper looked up at Erin and then to Jay. "What about the boys?" she asked, her eyes immediately filling with worry, "Are they okay?"
"Totally fine at daycare," he promised, beaming when Piper slowly released her hold on Erin and extended her arms to him. His baby was eleven but still wanted a big hug from her dad. "C'mere, you."
"Coach Nelson said I'm gonna be on defense today, 'cause I'm best at protecting the goalie," Piper informed him, giggling when Jay kissed her cheek.
"You are good at protecting," Erin agreed, running a hand across Jay's back as he held their daughter in his arms. She was so glad they both took the time off to be at the game. Piper's surprise and elation at their arrival was well worth any amount of emails in her inbox.
"A defender, huh?"
"Will?" Piper really, really couldn't believe it. Her uncle Will was at the field to watch her game as well.
"A little birdie told me my favorite kid was playing in her very first soccer game today," Will said teasingly, "What kind of uncle would I be if I missed that, huh?" He grinned at his brother when Jay looked surprised. "Voight's parking the car. Hailey's with him but I couldn't miss any minute of it."
"Thank you so much for coming," Erin said to Hank as they stood on the sidelines of the soccer game. She hadn't expected Hailey, Will and Hank to show up as well, but they did without prompting. They really did have an incredible support system. "She's ecstatic."
"Wouldn't miss it," Hank replied gruffly, "Really came to watch Halstead, though." He gestured to Jay, who was several feet up the pitch, intently observing.
Erin snorted. She was a mama bear when it came to everything Piper, but Jay was the ultimate soccer dad. "Which one?" She pointed further down the pitch to Will, still clad in his scrubs from the shift he'd managed to get out of early. The red-headed Halstead was arguably more invested in his niece's soccer game than Jay was.
"Feel like we coulda saw that one coming," Hank chuckled, rolling his eyes when both brothers leaned back in anticipation of the other team scoring a goal. "Jay might have some competition for soccer coach come the fall."
"I just can't believe you all made it. For this." Erin cleared her throat. "Jay and I um, we didn't know if she wanted us to come because she didn't mention it but we thought it was important. And it is." She turned her phone around in her hand nervously. "Makes me realize that I probably shoulda told you about stuff like this when I was in high school."
"You mean like the paper that you read at your junior year ceremony?"
Erin nearly dropped her phone in surprise. "You…you knew about that?"
Hank offered a knowing glance. "Erin. Come on." He grinned when the look of shock on his daughter's face intensified. "'course I knew."
"Did…did Camille know?" Erin returned her gaze to the soccer field, unable to process what she was hearing while also attempting to cheer on her daughter in her first soccer game.
"Who do think was the one that told me?" Hank shook his head and gestured to the field. "Look. Halftime."
Erin caught sight of her tiny little bug darting out from behind the crowd of other little girls who towered over her. Piper looked determined, but she didn't look scared or sad or hurt. She was okay.
"I can't believe you both knew about it," Erin mumbled. She looked back up to Hank. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because you didn't." He shrugged his shoulders. "Camille mentioned it to me, said she found out from some other parent. Threatened to call my sergeant herself to request the hour or two off for me." Hank smiled again. "She was adamant that we weren't missing it."
"You were there?" Erin couldn't believe it. "But I-"
"It was an essay you wrote, kid. We didn't think you were going to pass English at the beginning, let alone be selected to read a paper you wrote in front of the school." Tears threatened to mist at the back of his eyes as the memory came flooding back. "Swear, I thought Camille was going to burst with pride. I hadn't seen her that thrilled since the day Justin was finally potty trained."
"I can't believe it," she whispered, "I had no idea-"
"We didn't want you to know. Didn't want you to think we were spying on you or anything like that." Hank stroked his daughter's cheek gently. "We were trusting you. I remember because it had been six months since you'd first came to live with us. We were so proud of you."
Erin blinked rapidly, hoping to clear the tears from her eyes. "Camille had that essay framed," he continued, "She saved all your papers and report cards and stuff but that one…that one was special."
A tear escaped out of the corner of her eyes as Erin continued to process what her father was telling her. The paper had asked students to write about their favorite place. For someone who grew up in a lot of undesirable places, Erin remembered sitting in her English class, wracking her brain to come up with a place that wouldn't add more ammunition to the firing squad of cliquey high school girls.
She settled on the living room of the Voight's house.
Erin never intended for Camille or Hank to know about that paper.
"She…she framed it?"
Hank nodded and wiped her cheek gently. "Mm-hm. When you next come by I'll show you the box she kept it all in." He leaned down to kiss the crown of his daughter's head. "Camille always said that even if you didn't want us, we should be there. We already missed so much of your growing up. Didn't plan on missing another second."
I know it's been a wild - to be honest, I've really been losing steam so I really appreciate your patience for those of y'all still here. I hope you enjoy!