So, with excitement at what would herald an even better week—that being having my son back—I pushed up, planted a knee, and threw myself over Joker and the back of the couch.

Unfortunately, when I did this I heard Joker grunt. This gave me the uncomfortable feeling I’d planted said knee somewhere in Joker. Therefore, when my bare feet hit the floor at the back of the couch, I stopped my mad dash and looked at him.

“Jesus, Carrie,” he muttered, pushing up while looking at me, lips quirking, one hand to his stomach.

“Sorry,” I whispered, then grinned, “Travis is home.”

I got a return grin that said more than his lips quirking that he wasn’t angry with me, so I bent in, grabbed his head on either side, gave him a quick kiss, let him go, and ran to the door.

The bell rang right when I got to it.

I unlocked it and pulled it open.

And there was Aaron, not Tory, holding Travis in his arm, his diaper bag looped on Aaron’s shoulder.

Aaron stood tall, as usual, but he’d taken off his suit and was in jeans and a nice shirt that was pink and worked well with his coloring.

I saw this but mostly I saw my baby.

Lifting up my hands, I clapped them quietly in front of me, smiling at my son.

Then I held my hands out to him. “Hey, Googly. Welcome to your new home.”

Travis smiled a wet, open-mouthed smile back to his mommy, twisted in his father’s arms, and lurched toward me.

Catching him and pulling him to me, I hoped I’d never forget moments like these. Seeing my baby’s eyes light up when he saw his mommy. Seeing him reach to me. Catching his little warm body in my arms. Little moments that could be easy to forget, but they were so precious they should always be remembered.

I cuddled him to me, kissing his neck, giving him squeezes, listening to his baby giggles as he latched on to my hair and tugged.

It felt wonderful.

I turned away from the door, muttering, “You can drop the bag by the door. Thanks, Aaron.”

“Jesus, I knew I knew you,” Aaron said, and I turned back to see him looking at Joker. “Fuck, you’re Carson Steele.”

I looked Joker’s way to see he was on his feet.

His eyes were on Aaron.

“Yep,” he answered.

Okay, I hadn’t expected that moment to come, since I hadn’t expected Aaron to return Travis. Though I knew it would eventually happen, but I didn’t know that eventuality would come so quickly.

But now it was done and it was family time, Travis, Joker, and me, so it was also time to move on.

“Thanks for bringing him,” I said to Aaron firmly and repeated, “You can drop the bag by the door.”