“Close the windows and I’ll make sure nothing is in the sink,” she says, and he gets up to close the windows.

“Can I have one more doughnut before we leave?” he asks Caroline, and I look at him. “We never get fresh doughnuts, and I promise I’ll eat my breakfast.” I want to just make him eat all the doughnuts.

“Why don’t we bring the doughnuts with us, and you can have one after breakfast?” I tell him, and his eyes go big.

“I want eggs and pancakes,” he says, going to the door. I watch Caroline walk to the sink, making sure everything is clean. She grabs her purse, slipping it around her. “Mom, are we going to church? You’re wearing your church dress.”

“Not today,” she says softly. “Not for two days,” she says, and I wait for her to walk out and lock the door. Dylan walks ahead of us, and I walk with her. The sun hits right us right away, and I look up, seeing not one cloud in the sky. “It’s going to be a hot one.”

We walk down the sidewalk toward the car. Our hands graze each other and finally my pinky grabs hers, and I hold it there in mine, her eyes going straight to our joined hands. “What’s wrong?” I ask quietly, and she just shakes her head. I stop walking, and because I’m holding her hand, she stops also. She turns to look at me and then she looks away at Dylan, who is getting to the vehicle. “You look beautiful,” I say, and she turns again to look at me, but the sun is in her face, so she squints, closing one eye. “Every single day, I don’t think you can look more beautiful.” I close in on her, and now my frame blocks the sun from her face. “But every day I’m wrong.” I lean in and kiss her lips softly.

“Mom!” Dylan shouts. “Justin, I’m starving, and it’s hot.”

“I really have to check and see if there is a hole in his stomach,” she says while I laugh, and finally, I see her smile. “I’m not kidding.”

“He’s a growing boy,” I say when we get to the SUV, and I open the door for her. “It just gets worse.”

“Great,” she mumbles, climbing into the passenger side.

When I pull into the same diner we ate at yesterday, Dylan already knows what he’s going to order. I wait to see if Caroline orders for herself, but she looks at the menu and then just orders a bowl of fruit. I order more than I’m going to eat, and I’m happy when she takes a bit of the eggs and a sausage. When I pay the bill, she starts to go through her purse. “Don’t even think about it.”