Page 151 of Lose You Twice

The room goes quiet for half a second.

Justin walks out of the kitchen with a couple of bowls of popcorn and hands one to each of the twins, then goes back to grab a couple more. He brings Wren one, then takes his place on the floor with a pile of blankets.

Holden turns a page in his chemistry book without looking up.

Wren clears her throat. “Thank you, Daisy, for managing the seating chart.”

“You’re welcome.”

I’m sitting at the end of the couch, Wren beside me, with Daisy tucked against her other side, and Lily curled near the armrest.

At first, there’re a few inches between Wren and me, then Daisy steals part of her blanket.

Wren shivers slightly, then shifts closer.

Her thigh presses against mine.

She doesn’t pull away.

The movie begins, and the room settles into the kind of quiet only children can create—constant whispering, snack wrappers, questions about things that were explained thirty seconds earlier.

Daisy provides commentary whenever one of the dogs makes a decision she disagrees with, and Lily tells her to be quiet and just watch, multiple times.

Wren’s shoulder rests against mine.

Every few minutes, she shifts as though she’s going to move away, then stays where she is.

I keep my eyes on the TV.

Mostly.

Halfway through the movie, her head dips.

She catches herself once, blinks hard, then looks around to see if anyone noticed.

I did.

“Go to sleep,” I murmur.

“I’m watching.”

“You just missed an entire rescue.”

“I closed my eyes to focus on the dialogue.”

“Obviously.”

She gives me a weak glare before settling back.

Five minutes later, her head rests against my shoulder.

Her breathing evens out.

I look down.

Loose strands of hair have fallen across her cheek, one of her hands still holding Daisy’s. Daisy barely notices. She’s too invested in the screen.

If there’s one thing that spending time in this house again has shown me, it’s that someday, Wren is going to make the most incredible mom. She’s kind, patient, nurturing, caring, and selfless. Always putting them before herself. But if she had someone else helping her in return, maybe it wouldn’t run her down so much.