Page 121 of Absolution

It means more than all the others combined.

Epilogue

Three Months Later

“Mom!”

The voice echoes up the stairs, jarring Jackie awake.

She groans, blinking into the light spilling through the window. “Shit,” she mutters, tossing the covers off and fumbling into the clothes she’d left crumpled on the chair. She stumbles out barefoot, hair wild, and hurries downstairs.

Levi’s already in the kitchen, backpack over one shoulder, shoes still on.

“Hi, honey,” Jackie says, brushing her hair out of her face. “What are you doing back so early?”

Levi sighs. “Today’s a half day, remember? Teacher workday.”

“Right,” she nods slowly. “I knew that.”

Before she can recover, Jemma and Iris tumble into the kitchen, talking over each other, sneakers untied, ponytails uneven.

Jackie lifts her hands. “Okay, okay. I was thinking, how about we go get some food? Brunch?”

The kids exchange glances.

“I could eat,” Jemma shrugs.

“Sure,” Iris grins.

“Fine,” Levi says.

“Great,” Jackie says, grabbing her keys off the counter. She’s almost to the front door when Levi calls out, “Dad! You wanna get food with us?”

Jackie freezes.

A beat.

Then footsteps.

Kyle appears at the top of the stairs, shirt wrinkled, hair a mess. He looks like someone caught sneaking out of a room he shouldn't have been in.

“I’d love to,” he says casually.

Jemma eyes him, fighting a smirk. “We’ll wait in the car while you guys... get dressed,” she says, making vague hand gestures between the two of them.

Jackie flushes. Kyle just chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck.

As the kids file out, after taking the keys from their mom, still whispering and giggling, Kyle steps closer.

“Are we bad parents?” Jackie asks softly.

Kyle shakes his head.

“They wouldn’t exist if we hadn’t spent the morning doing what we did,” he says, slipping his arms around her waist.

She slaps his hand playfully. “You’re lucky I love you.”

Kyle freezes for a second. Jackie tilts her head, smiling gently as she reaches up and loops her arms around his neck.

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