“I’m sorry about that. It’s just the craziest thing, you know.” She blushed. “Ever since you left, your father and I—”

“Please. Please stop,” I begged, holding my free hand up in protest.

“Okay, okay.” She laughed. “I was just trying to explain.”

“No need. Really, I get it. No more kids—or kid, in your case. You’re shaking things up. As long as you’re happy,” I managed to say, feeling proud of my words.

I was still grossed out—so, so grossed out—but I could find enough maturity in me to be upbeat for my parents.

Growing up, there were times when I’d seen them fight and carry on about one thing or another, and I’d wondered what kept them going. Was it love? Duty?

I was glad to know it was love.

“What brings you home, Cara?” my mother finally asked.

I knew she’d been dying to know the moment she heard my voice calling out to her in that restroom, but she hadn’t said a word until now.

“I needed you,” I simply said.

She smiled, setting her cup of coffee down on the coffee table. “And I’ll always be here. But that’s not the real reason.”

“How did you know Daddy was the one?” I asked, not ready to talk about Roman yet.

She looked out the window to where my father was, laying a fresh coat of salt for the impending inch or two of snow that could fall overnight, and she smiled.

“The first time I tried to imagine life without him, I guess,” she said. “We began dating in college; you know that. But there were a few weeks during our senior year when we broke up. Neither one of us could decide what we wanted to do or where, so rather than make that decision, we just determined a clean break would be best. I walked away, thinking everything would be easier without him. But, as the days went on, there were all these holes in my life where he used to exist. Holes that I’d thought would fill or mend but didn’t. Holes that started to leak tears because I missed him so much.”

“So, you went back to him?”

She shook her head. “He came back to me, filled with the same hollowness that we could only mend if we were together. We might not be the most successful or the most glamorous couple. We’ve led a simple life with plenty of ups and downs. But it’s ours,” she emphasized. “What is this about, Cara? I know you aren’t just curious about your daddy and me.”