Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
S I X
A loud groan escaped from my lips as blinding rays of morning sun illuminated the room sneaking in from the useless light fabric the curtains were made of. Every morning I make a mental note to buy better curtains, but I never get around it.
Rolling over to my back, I struggled to sit up. There wasn't a spot in my body that didn't ache. As I helplessly tried to push hair out of my eyes, I realized that I was not in the living room where I fell asleep last night with Evan on the couch. A sinking feeling started forming in my chest after noticing that the other side of the bed was untouched and there were no signs of Evan ever being here.
I could not possibly have dreamt what happened last night. It felt too real to just be one of my dreams, but if it was, that would explain how I was fully clothed in the pjs I had on the night before.
Putting my disappointment aside, I took a quick glance at my phone and practically jumped out of bed, almost falling on my face as my feet got caught in the bedsheets after realizing the time. I couldn't believe that it was almost 11 am and Maia was not screaming bloody murder in her crib. She was usually up before 8 am ready for her breakfast and cartoons.
Rushing to her bedroom, I noticed how her crib was empty. Panic quickly followed until I heard voices coming from the kitchen down the hallway. Walking slowly, I frowned at the recognizable voices that I was not expecting to hear.
"Look who decided to join us. Good morning Sleeping Beauty!" Dad exclaimed cheerfully while taking a quick look at my appearance. "Geez, put on some pants, Louise."
I crossed my arms against my chest, suddenly feeling a little exposed. "What are you guys doing here?"
The sinking feeling I had in my chest earlier instantly disappeared once my eyes found Evan sitting on one of the kitchen stools. Maia was sitting on the counter in front of him, too busy playing with Evan's watch to even acknowledge my presence.
"Let's see, last time I checked, I pay the bills of this house."
"Grant, don't be like that. Don't listen to him, honey," Cara slapped my father on his shoulder before she walked over to me. "We decided to come back home. We won't do it every day, but from time to time, we'll come back here after taking a rapid test to make sure we are in the clear. The hotel is nice and all, but we miss our girls and our own bed." She explained, wrapping her arms around me for a hug.
"Though I'm not quite sure our girls missed us, Cara. They clearly already found someone to replace us." We chuckled as dad tried to pick up Maia, but as soon as she noticed him approaching, she quickly leaned forward, reaching for Evan's shirt. Her chubby hand gripping the shirt as if her life depended on it.
