Zoe shivered as she turned another page in her book. There was a blanket covering her crossed legs but it wasn't enough to keep her warm. She looked down and checked the baby monitor, knowing she'd have to wake Tia up soon. The front door burst open and Mallory's laughter echoed through the house.
"Mommy!" Mallory yelled happily.
"Shh, Mal! Tia's sleeping." Zoe shushed.
"Oh! Sorry! Hi Mommy!" Mallory's voice dropped into a whisper. Zoe smiled as Evan went to go wake Tia up. Mallory ran over to her mother.
"How was your day sweetheart?" Zoe asked. Mallory shrugged.
"It was boring. I miss kindergarten." Mallory whined.
"I know honey, but this is part of being a big girl. And remember, you need to show Tia how to be a big girl. How a big girl acts and that big girls go to school during the week." Zoe explained.
"But school's no fun!" Mallory complained. Evan came down the stairs with a newly awake baby in his arms.
"Hey! Why is it so cold in here?" Evan asked, taking his shoes off.
"No idea. Somethings gone wrong on the thermostat and I can't get the heat to turn on." Zoe sighed.
Evan walked over to where the thermostat was fixed on the wall and pressed the up arrow a couple of times. When the digital numbers didn't move, he sighed.
"Well Mallory, it looks like Mom broke the thermostat!" Evan joked.
"I did not! I went to turn the heat up and it didn't work. That's not my fault." Zoe whined. There was a squeal and Zoe looked at Evan and saw Tia reaching for her. Evan passed her off and Zoe smiled.
"Shhh, it's okay Ladybug." Zoe whispered, adjusting the small girl. She gently rubbed Tia's until her whimpers stopped.
"There we go! See, it's not so bad!" Zoe whispered. Mallory ran over and looked at Tia as Evan sighed.
"How do we feel about having a fire tonight?" Evan asked.
"A fire?" Mallory asked.
"Yeah, we have a nice big fireplace, we could get some wood, and roast marshmallows." Evan suggested. Mallory nodded.
"Fire!" She cheered. Zoe smiled and kissed Malloy's head.
"Sure. But we need wood." Zoe said. Evan shrugged.
"We can get that. That's not a problem." Evan said.
"Mommy do we have marshmallows?" Mallory asked. Zoe nodded and Mallory smiled.
"Come on Mal, lets go get some wood!" Evan said. Mallory jumped up and ran towards her father.
"Where do we get it?" Mallory asked. Evan pointed to the back door and Mallory frowned.
"The backyard?" Mallory asked.
"Yeah! There's wood left over from our fire pile this summer. Let's go get some!" Evan said. Mallory nodded and ran after her father.
+++
The fire had been crackling in the fireplace for a few hours. Tia had been to bed hours ago and Zoe thought that Mallory would be heading up soon.
"Are you sleepy Mal?" Zoe asked. Mallorys head was rested in Zoe's lap and Zoe was twisting a small pigtail around her finger.
"No Mommy." Mallory said softly.
"Because you've got school tomorrow so you're going to bed pretty soon." Zoe said softly. Evan chuckled softly and kissed Zoe's cheek.
"You seem tired." He said softly. Zoe nodded and Evan gently brought Mallory into his lap.
"You should go to bed." He whispered. Zoe shook her head and Evan raised his eyebrows.
"You're exhausted. Go." He said. Zoe sighed and kissed Mallory before kissing Evan.
"I'm going to bed you two. I love you both." Zoe said. Evan pulled her down for one more kiss and Mallory yawned.
"Looks like we're right behind you Zo. Mal, go up with your mom, I'm gonna put the fire out." Evan said. Mallory stood and Zoe scooped up her little girl before carrying her up to the warmth of her bed.