Colt looked at me and smiled. “Oh no, Mama. Grams hasn’t been over in two days. Yes, ma’am. Daddy has been. He’s been making us breakfast each morning, and he’s even packed our lunches.”
Colt turned away from me a little and attempted to whisper, “He really doesn’t know what to pack us. He put a cheese stick in my lunch.”
I let out a chuckle.
Alex laughed. “Let me talk to her again, Colt.”
“I love you, Mama. Please come home soon. We all miss you. Yes, ma’am, I will. Night. I love you,” Colt said before handing the phone to Alex.
“Mama, yes. Yes, ma’am.” Alex looked at me. “Yes. No, Daddy picks us up from the bus stop.”
I smiled slightly. I knew Ellie was asking Alex a million questions about who was taking care of things.
I turned around, opened the dishwasher, and began loading our dinner plates. The last few days had really shown me how much Ellie did around the house. I wanted to kick my own ass for taking her for granted.
“He, um…well, he turned my white shirt to pink by mistake.”
I smiled. Neither of my children were good at whispering.
“Um…sad. Yeah, I mean, he looks really sad.”
I turned and looked at Alex. She smiled and gave me a thumbs-up. My mouth dropped open.
“Okay, Mama. I love you, too.” She hung up the phone and looked at Colt. “Mama said to make sure you get your reading in.”
“Ah, man!” Colt said as he stomped out of the kitchen.
Alex walked up to stand beside me, and she smiled. “Mama said she misses you.”
I nodded my head and smiled slightly.
“Daddy, why are y’all not talking to each other?”
I sucked in a breath and slowly blew it out. “I wish I knew, kiddo. Grown-up stuff, I guess.”
She nodded her head. “Do you know where she is, Dad?”
The way Alex had just called me Dad made me stop and look at her. My baby girl was growing up.
I placed my hand on the side of her face. “You look so much like your mother. You’re both so beautiful.”
She blushed and looked away before looking back at me. She shrugged her shoulders. “I overheard Aunt Ari telling Grace that Mommy needed some time to think. I don’t know what she is thinking about, but I bet she’s thinking of you, Daddy. She asked me a lot of questions about yo
u. She even asked how you looked, and I told her sad. She said she thought she probably looked sad, too, but she was in a place that had happy memories of the two of you.”
In that moment, I had an idea of where Ellie might be.
I bent down and looked into Alex’s eyes. “Alex, did she tell you anything else about where she is?”
She smiled. “No, but she did say she had walked on a trail around a lake. I’m not sure which lake she was talking about. But, Daddy, she said she is coming home tomorrow. I don’t think she told Colt that. I bet she wants to surprise him.”
I grinned and said, “I bet. Alex, I need to make a phone call, sweetheart. Go get your homework done before bedtime.”
She nodded and walked out of the kitchen. I walked over to the phone and dialed my parents’ number.
“Hello?”
“Mom! I need a huge favor.”