You Stayed With Us

I want one

I prayed. "Please, Scarlett, don't..."

"Dada, can we—"

"No. We have a dog. Cooper will get jealous. And also, no."

She pouted but moved on.

After what felt like an eternity, she settled on fish. "I want dis one. And dat one. Two!"

"Scarlett, one is enough."

"But if dere's only one, it be lonely!"

"Scarlett—"

She gave me the look. The one that says I will scream until glass shatters.

We left with two betta fish.

On the drive home, Scarlett sat in her seat holding the bag like it was made of gold. "I'm gonna be da best fish mommy evah."

When we got home, we set up the small aquarium in the living room. Cooper came over immediately, sniffed, then barked at it like it was a threat to national security. Scarlett gasped. "Cooper! Be nice to Nemo!"

"Yes," I said, laughing, "because of course you named it Nemo."

Scarlett grinned. "Nemo and Dory. Dey gonna be best fwiends."

I looked at the tank, then at my daughter — messy hair, big smile, and the kind of joy that made all the chaos worth it.

For now.

____________

Scarlett had been hovering by the aquarium for hours, checking in on Nemo and Dory like she was personally responsible for their well-being. Every so often, she'd ride Cooper's back — well, "ride" was generous. It was more like she sat there while Cooper gave me a look that said, Are you seeing this? before trotting three lazy steps and stopping.

By the time the front door finally opened, Scarlett's little head whipped toward the sound, her eyes lighting up like the fish had just learned to do tricks.

"Mommy! Ella! Noa! Nahan!" she squealed, hopping down from the ottoman and tearing across the living room.

Jennie stepped inside first, cheeks flushed from the warm afternoon, followed by Ella with her hair in a messy ponytail and the twins trailing behind her. Scarlett didn't even slow down. She crashed into Jennie's legs, then tried to hug Ella and the twins all at once.

"You haf to come! Come, come!" Scarlett grabbed Noah's hand, then Nathan's, then ran back to Jennie like she couldn't decide who to drag first. "Nemo! Dory! Big fishy! Smol fishy! Look, look!"

Jennie beamed, brushing a strand of hair out of Scarlett's face. "You've been busy, huh?"

Ella laughed. "She sounds like she drank three juice boxes."

"She didn't," I called from the couch, "but she's been giving the fish hourly pep talks, so maybe they're hyped too."

Scarlett finally managed to herd everyone to the aquarium. She pressed her little hands against the glass, narrating at lightning speed. "This Nemo. This Dory. Nemo sleep sometimes. Dory swim fast. Look, Mommy, bubbles! Look, Ella, big rock! Look, Noa and Nahan, fishy kiss!"

Jennie crouched down beside her, smiling warmly. "They're really cute, Scarlett."

Ella nodded. "They're just like in the movie."

But the twins... the twins were quiet. They just stood there, hands in their pockets, staring into the tank. No questions, no "cool!" — nothing.

Jennie glanced over her shoulder at me but didn't say anything yet.

Later, after Scarlett had moved on to lecturing the fish about bedtime, Jennie and I ended up on the couch together. She curled into my side, head resting on my shoulder, her hand brushing over my stomach as she hugged me close.

"Long day?" I asked, rubbing her arm.

"Mm, just meetings. Same as usual. You?"

I shrugged. "Scarlett kept me busy. We checked the fish. We... uh, checked the fish again. And again. And again."

Jennie chuckled, tilting her head up to look at me. "I swear she's the only person in this house who could watch fish for hours and still have more to say about it."

"Runs in the family," I teased, giving her a small grin.

She rolled her eyes playfully, then let out a soft sigh, content. But when I glanced past her toward the aquarium, my smile faded a little. The twins were still there, sitting on the floor now, knees drawn up, just watching. Quiet.

I leaned in closer to Jennie and whispered, "They've barely said a word since they came in."

Her brows furrowed. "You noticed too?"

"Yeah. You think something happened?"

"I don't know." She straightened up slightly, her gaze moving to them. "Usually they're all over Scarlett's stories. Today... nothing."

I kept my arm around her but my eyes stayed on the boys, that quiet weight starting to settle in the back of my mind.

Scarlett, of course, didn't notice a thing. She was too busy explaining to Ella that Nemo's favorite rock was the "best nap rock" and that Dory "dreams of bubbles."

But I could feel it — something was up with Noah and Nathan.

And I was going to find out what.