I freeze as everyone suddenly turns to me. The last time I played with kids was in college, when I volunteered at a local elementary school. Luckily, I got assigned the older grades, so none of the kids I supervised were as young as Kaylee and Carly. But I still take the tablet from Celeste and make a “come here” gesture in an attempt to emulate my ex.

“Video games!” Kaylee yells, no longer shy.

The girls jump up and down with joy.

Luckily, both Kaylee and Carly become quickly obsessed with Crossy Road, and they don’t even look up from the screen when Celeste says, “Okay, we’re all set and ready to go.”

I leave the kids on the couch and settle into my usual chair by Celeste’s cameras. I ask the Amatos my usual list of questions, starting off with how they met.

“We met in college,” Maria says.

“We were in the same co-ed dorm freshman year and couldn’t keep our hands off each other,” Joey adds.

Maria blushes and I give them a polite smile. “That’s amazing. And how long have you two been together?”

“Over a decade now,” Maria replies.

“Time goes by so fast, doesn’t it?” Joey shares a smile with his wife. “Who knew back then that we’d be actual adults now, all settled into our new house with our two kids? There were lots of times we thought we couldn’t do it, what with the economy and all. But thankfully we pulled through, in the end.”

“Yup. It all worked out. And all because we have each other,” Maria adds. “Which sounds cheesy, I know. But it’s true. Joey has been my rock through it all.”

“And she’s been my rock,” Joey says with a grin. “It’s funny, though, because we went from being complete kids who just had huge crushes on each other to… this.” He waves his hand at the two of them, and then at the girls on the couch. “If you asked me what love was back then, I’d have a completely different perception of what it is, compared to the one I have now.”

Maria laughs. “Right? In college, I thought love was about flowers and chocolates. Or cute dates or trips around the world. But what it actually is most days is, ‘Hey, I can play with the kids so you can go nap.’”

We all laugh.

“We do still like to spoil each other with fancy things once in a while,” Joey says. “But most days, a nap is the best present in the world.”

“What were some of the biggest challenges in your relationship?” I ask, moving on to the next question.

“All the surprises,” answers Joey. “And the random road bumps we hit along the way.”