Adam watched Lindsay warily as she shut the front door, draped her coat over the chair, kicked her shoes off and flopped down on the other end of the couch.

"So how was work?"

"Fine. I am so tired," she sighed. "I have court in the morning and I didn't even know about it until noon, so I was trying to get ready for that and process a bunch of evidence and not get the two things confused. My brain hurts."

"How do you always manage to tack an extra hour or two onto your shift?"

"I don't know. I must just work a lot slower than I used to."

"Maybe."

"I don't like the habit though. I'd rather be and eight to fiver sometimes."

"I know. You got a package today."

"From who?"

"Taylor."

"I'll open it in a while," she said, laying down across the couch, her head in his lap. He tucked her hair behind her ear and she closed her eyes as her muscles bunched and released, unfamiliar with her lack of movement.

"Where's Colton?"

"Sleeping. His first nap of the day might I add."

"I hope he wasn't cranky."

"Quite the opposite actually. I think I tuckered him out."

"That's good," she yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"Do you need to go and join the afternoon nap club?"

"I just need to close my eyes for two minutes."

"Is that all?"

"Maybe three."

He smiled and ran his thumb up and down her side listening as her breathing slowed. He loved to watch her sleep and he sometimes woke up a few minutes early to do so. He could see in those moments just how much she trusted him, how peaceful she was in his arms, how obviously they had been created for each other. He ran his fingers down her arm and took her hand, turning it over to trace the lines and scars on her palm. The rough marks from braiding rawhides, the slight silvery line from her haphazard attempt at screen door repair when she was thirteen. He noted the way her pinkie was slightly bent, a break that had never been set.

She sighed and fell into a deeper sleep, curling her hand around his. He smiled and slouched down on the couch, then grabbed the blanket and draped it over her.

"Adam?"

"Go back to sleep, babe."

"Need to make dinner."

"I got it covered. Sleep."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

He sat there for a while, letting her acclimate to sleep before carefully standing up and placing a throw pillow under her head. She grumped in her sleep but didn't wake up, instead snuggling into the cushions and reaching her hand out for him. He pushed her hair back and kissed her forehead, then stood up and went into the kitchen to finish making dinner. He usually ordered out, but she spent time making him a good meal at least four times a week, and he felt it was only fair for him to return the favor. He was actually a decent cook and didn't know why he hadn't taken the initiative before now. Opening the oven, he added a little more broth to the pan so the small roast wouldn't dry out, then took the carrots, onions and potatoes out of the fridge. He had just arranged the cut up pieces in the steamer basket when Colton started to cry from the other room. Adam abandoned what he was doing, dried his hands on a towel and went into the bedroom.

"Hey bud, what's all the noise? Did you get bored in here?"

He lifted his son out of the crib and kissed his cheek, then went back out to the kitchen.

"Wanna help me make dinner? Should we put some little baby toes in that pot?"

Colton grimaced as if he knew what Adam was talking about.

"You're not cookin' my kid," Lindsay admonished as she joined them, rubbing her eyes. Colton squealed when he saw her, reaching out for her and kicking his legs.

"Somebody missed you."

"I missed him too," she said, pulling him into her arms. "C'mon buddy, you can help me open the package from your auntie Taylor. I am pretty sure there's something in there for you."

He burbled a response and she took him into the other room, sitting on the couch and grabbing the box.

"Do you think she used enough packing tape on this thing?"

She used her fingernail to make a small slice in the tape, then was able to rip the rest open. She grabbed the letter first, moving the box onto the couch and unfolding the paper.

Dear Linds,

I hope this letter finds you well. And that is as far as I can go in formal letter writing. Felt too weird and slightly creepy and a little British.

So here I sit, full of Christmas dinner and eggnog that I should not have had that third cup of. You know this is the first Christmas I have ever had real Christmas in a long time. Last year and the year before were good, but this is the very first where I have woken up happy and spent the whole day happy. Of course, I did miss you like crazy. The whole family was here and you were missing. Your brothers antics aren't the same without you standing there admonishing them for whatever concoction they're cooking up. Maybe next Christmas.

And I just realized that I probably won't get this letter to you until April or May. That's okay, you won't mind.

So I guess your mom is leaving soon to go and see you and Colton and I must say I am really jealous. So not fair, I wanna see him! And you don't send nearly enough pictures. Because I have like five and that's just not right.

Speaking of pictures I finally got prints of all those ones I took before your wedding. There's some good ones in there. The one of Mac and Stella shall live in infamy I am guessing.

Anyway, being out of school even for a week makes my handwriting suck and become illegible, so I'm going to stop rambling now.

Love you Linds.

Tay

"Colton look, your first pair of cowboy boots," she said, walking the shoes over his stomach. He giggled as she slid them onto his feet. "They're a little too big, but it's my bet you're going to learn to walk in these things."

"He looks funny wearing a onesie and boots. In fact, he looks like your baby pictures."

"Better he look like mine than yours, streaker."

"I don't like that you and my mom get along so well."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey c'mere."

"What?"

"Pictures from before the wedding. So young."

They were mostly just snapshots of family, the day at the lake, the bachelorette party. They flipped through the pictures, fondly remembering the innocence of those days, the excitement of the unknown.

"I like this one," she said, handing a picture to him. They were curled up on her parent's porch swing, taking a nap in the afternoon sun.

"That's us lazy."

"That's us happy."

"We're always happy."

"Yes we are."

He leaned down and kissed her, then headed back into the kitchen while Lindsay grabbed her cell phone out of her purse. She dialed a familiar number and blew a raspberry on Colton's cheek while she waited for an answer.

"Hello?"

"Well hello Auntie Taylor, Colton just wanted to say thank you for the boots."

"Hey Linds. Nice baby talk."

"Thanks, I've been practicing. What are you up to?"

"Studying like a good girl. Marveling at the fact that I have a day off from work and school. Wondering if your mom or dad is going to win the argument over what happened to the cheese."

"Dad ate it."

"How do you know?"

"Because the cheese fight has ended the same way for the last… how long have they been married now?"

"Is that normal?"

"I'm not sure. You're asking the woman who is married to the guy who washes out the laundry basket after it's had dirty clothes in it so the clean clothes don't get redirty."

"Serious."

"I would not joke about something as weird as that. He even asks me if I washed out the baskets. I started just leaving all the laundry for him to do."

"That's interesting."

"That's married life. Speaking of relationships, how's Thaddeus?"

"Oh. We broke up."

"What? When?"

"Last week."

"You didn't call me."

"I didn't know what to say."

"Do you know what to say now, because I want to know what happened. Who broke up with who?"

"It was kind of a "You're fired! You can't fire me, I quit!" thing. It started as a fight and turned into me not loving or trusting him and ended with a very civilized and mature break up."

"Oh sweets. Are you okay?"

"Your mom hugged me and listened to me cry and your dad brought me ice-cream and told me he loves me and Thaddeus wasn't good enough for me anyway."

"That sounds like them. Wanna give me any more details than that?"

"Yeah, but not right now. I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright. Anything else going on?"

"My dad called."

"Whoa, crack the egg and rewind. Your dad called?"

"It just happened yesterday. He called and… there was a lot that my mom let me believe that wasn't true. He didn't run out on us, she got a restraining order, claiming that he hit her. When they got divorced she got custody because he worked so much. She's a manipulator and was able to get whatever she wanted out of the courts and he never got to see me. He said he was mad at her and he took it out on me when he didn't fight to see me. He apologized for everything."

"That's a lot."

"Yeah. Part of me thinks he's just trying to make himself feel better, but I think my mom screwed up way more than even I thought she did. He didn't have a chance to fix it before."

"Yeah."

"I'm just going to go with it for now."

"Have you talked to your mom at all?"

"Not a word. She hasn't tried either. Doesn't bother me, I wasn't expecting her to."

"Oh little girl, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I'm alive. I laugh. It's all good."

"Okay."

"Hey, how's Colton?"

"He's good. Laying on the couch looking at me and chewing on his finger. He talks a lot and by talks I mean he babbles incessantly. Adam and I are fighting over if he's going to say mama or daddy first, but we both accept the fact that being our child means he'll probably throw us for a loop and say something like tangerine."

"I have an idea where he gets the incessant babbling from."

"Hey now."

"I bet he's cute, and I don't even get to see him," Taylor mock pouted.

"Well maybe it's time to quit talking about you coming out here and just do it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Sometime this summer. You got any vacation coming up?"

"The last week in June."

"Wanna do it then?"

"How many languages can I say yes in?"

"I'll have Adam look for tickets that don't cost my entire life savings."

"I'll finally be able to prove that I can kick his butt at Guitar Hero."

"I think he'll be up for the challenge, but I must warn you that he is a very dramatic loser."

"How so?"

"Clutching his chest, falling to the floor, gut wrenching fake sobs, refusing to give up the controller. It was cute two years ago, now it makes me roll my eyes."

"And yet you still wanna jump him."

"Taylor!"

"What? It wouldn't be healthy if you didn't."

"I can't believe you just said that."

"I can't believe you're this scandalized over it."

"You're supposed to be eight still."

"Sorry."

"Harsh reality."

"Bites. Hey so what are your thoughts about me going to London or Paris for a year?"

"To study abroad? I think that would be radically epic."

"Really?"

"Of course it would. I would sit here and be monstrously jealous and you would fall madly in love with a European man who has lots of money and takes you to places like Bali just because he can."

"So I would be going there to become Heidi Klum?"

"You can't walk in stilettos. Besides, you can only do all that adventuring during school breaks. You can't flunk out of Oxford because you were in Istanbul trying to get to Constantinople and you missed your flight back to London."

"Linds, if I didn't know that Istanbul and Constantinople were the same place, then maybe they should just make me stay in Turkey."

"Yeah, you would probably already be flunking out of Oxford."

"Thanks for the faith sis."

"Anytime. So when are you planning on doing this thing?"

"Sophomore year of college. I'll be done with high school this winter because I fast tracked, and then I'm going to take the spring and summer to save extra for school. So in about two and a half years. It feels closer than that."

"It'll come fast, I promise."

"Yeah. Hey, your parents want me to tie-break their cheese fight."

"Go ahead. Just don't say a word about the salami."

"Got it. I love you."

"I love you too sweet face."

She hung up the phone and looked down at Colton, who was gumming the flap on the cardboard box. He stopped mid chew and looked at her, as if asking her permission to continue. She chuckled and ran her hand over his head, noting how long his hair was getting and how it had curled a little on the ends. He abandoned the box and slithered over to her, grabbing her shirt to pull himself into her lap. She had to help him, but soon he was settled against her, playing with the button on her sleeve.

"I missed you today buddy. No one else laughs at my jokes."

He grinned and she tickled his chin, earning a chuckle.

"I love you. You know that right? Even when I have to leave for a while, I'll always come back."

He gave her a knowing smile then popped his thumb into his mouth.

"If you just so happen to be hungry right now that would totally help me out, seeing as you haven't nursed since this morning."

They stared up at each other for a while before he nuzzled closer to her, his hand waving in the air for a moment before coming to rest over her heart.

"I guess that answers that," she said, pulling a blanket over him and adjusting so they were both comfortable. He had started out as a fast eater, but ever since she went back to work, she could tell he was slowing down. Whether that meant he was getting enough or he thought she might have to leave, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that the moments were fleeting and she needed to protect them in her mind so they didn't slip completely away. She ran her fingers over his plump cheek and he took a breath and smiled, then closed his eyes.

"Hey Linds?" Adam called from the other room.

"Yeah?"

"I found a flight for Taylor."

"Were you listening in on my conversation?"

"No, I overheard that part of it. Want me to go ahead and buy the ticket?"

"Bookmark it for now and we'll confirm later."

"Okay. Is there a game on tonight?"

"I think so. Want to make popcorn and prank call Austin and Danny at the end of every inning?"

"Of course."

He came into the room and reached down to rub her shoulders.

"Maybe next year at this time we can take Colton to a game."

"Okay, but you're not feeding him a hotdog."

"Deal. I'm glad you're home babe."

"Me too."