Invisible String

42

We were letting them stay up a little late - it felt like a special enough occasion.

"Do not let her see the cover art," I muttered to Travis, watching his thumb hover over the screen. "Spotify TV shows it when you click the album."

"Got it." He clicked play and then instantly hit the back button, returning to the home screen. The music still played in the background, now just a cozy, festive ambiance while the visual was a bland black menu screen.

Lily looked up. "Why did you do that? I wanted to see the picture!"

I smiled tightly. "Oh honey, it's just... a boring old picture of Mommy. You've seen me before."

"Is Daddy in it?" she asked suspiciously, probably because she's smart and definitely remembers things.

Travis coughed into his hand. "Sort of. But it's not very Christmasy. Just... musical."

"Can I see it later?"

"Not until you're thirty," I said sweetly, kissing the top of her head.

She squinted at me like she knew I was hiding something, then shrugged and went back to humming along.

Travis leaned in. "Think she's onto us?"

"Absolutely," I whispered back. "But she still thinks a 'sassy outfit' is jeans with a sparkly unicorn, so we're safe... for now."

Mira squealed just as the sleigh bells kicked in on track three, and I sighed, resting my head against Travis's shoulder.

Hot makeup, dramatic hair flips, and biting your husband's lip on camera might not be family-friendly content... but hey, the remaster sounded damn good.

After the last notes of the remastered album faded into the soft hum of the TV speakers, I glanced over and saw Lily with her eyes barely open, her head now resting on Travis's thigh. Mira had long since given up the fight, her little fists curled under her chin in her bouncer, sleep winning as it always did.

"Alright," I whispered, nudging Travis. "We had our little listening party... time for bed."

He groaned softly, not wanting to move either. "We need to carry both?"

I gave him a look. "Do you want Lily trying to walk upstairs half-asleep and Mira waking up fully the second you unbuckle her?"

He sighed and stood up, carefully scooping up Lily like she was made of glass. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, still mostly asleep. I leaned over and gently picked Mira up, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she stirred but didn't wake.

We padded up the stairs quietly, the sound of the snow still falling outside a soft reminder that December was truly here. I got Mira settled in her crib, zipping her into a fresh sleep sack, while Travis laid Lily in her bed and pulled the covers up over her.

"Night, bug," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair off her forehead.

I met him in the hallway a moment later. "That went smoother than I expected."

He smirked. "You mean no sugar crashes or fighting over who gets to hold the remote?"

"Exactly."

He slipped his arm around my waist as we made our way back downstairs, the quiet finally wrapping around us like a blanket. "You know," he murmured, "even if they never see that album cover... they'll still grow up knowing you're the coolest mom ever."

I snorted. "Cool moms don't get nervous about cleavage on Spotify."

"You wore a red velvet dress with a slit up your thigh while biting my lip in slow motion."