"They're always eating…" She nodded, her brow wrinkling while I held her attention.
"Good. That'll make it easier. Second thing is to spend some time with Harper in the garden. I think you'll like the greenhouse they're building."
"Okay…" Skepticism laced her agreement now and she scooted closer so that all of her pressed against me. I wrapped my arms around her, and she dropped her head on my shoulder. "What's the last thing?"
"Can you help me repack our go bags? I think we ran out of clothes." I smiled when she snickered.
"I can do some laundry. Is that okay?" She looked up at me and I nodded.
"Of course, baby." I stroked her cheek then pressed my lips to her forehead. "You can do whatever you want to do. Whatever you want that makes you happy or helps you feel less anxious. It'll make me happy to know that you're happy or at the very least, more comfortable."
"I like when you're happy." She snaked her arm around my middle and squeezed. "You make me happy."
"I like when you're happy and you make me happy, too, Nor." I ran my finger down the bridge of her nose and she smiled, her eyes closing under the affection. "Go to sleep."
"You too, baby," she said, her voice softening.
She drifted in my arms, and I found myself tumbling with her. All I wanted was for Nora to feel cherished and loved. I hoped I conveyed that message to her every day. The way she treated me, how she looked at me, the way she pleaded with me, made me feel wanted and loved as always. When she needed me, my sense of connection to the world became a solid platform where I felt myself rising up. Sometimes though, the ground beneath our feet felt more like a sandbar rather than stone. Together though, I hoped we could build something sturdier, or at least escape the sense of temporariness that the world left in our wake.