chapter 6

Samantha – 7 Years Later

Baconsizzled, and I carefully flipped it in the pan, doing my best to avoid the grease splatter.

In another pan on the next burner over, I scrambled eggs, all while keeping an eye on the toaster nearby.

There were a lot of moving parts, but I was used to it.

There were always multiple balls in the air that I had to juggle, and it was pretty much second nature to me at that point.

“Henry!” I called as I began scooping food onto plates. “Breakfast is ready. Come down now, please!”

As I turned to place the plates on the little kitchen table behind me, I heard the pounding of small feet on the staircase just outside the kitchen door.

The next moment, a little boy came barreling into the room. His dark brown hair was a wild mess, and his familiar blue eyes glittered with the kind of eager excitement that only young kids seemed capable of feeling. He was still dressed in his dinosaur footie pajamas. He was so adorable that it made my heart ache.

He scrambled up into