“You’re good with her, you know,” Zin said quietly as she moved them outside. She’d agree with Alvin that she enjoyed Emery more now than when she was more, mostly because she had a little personality and did more than just sleep and eat. She giggled now and was becoming her own little person, although Zin wasn’t quite ready for her to be growing up so quickly. Time needed to slow down.

Zinnia led them to one of her favorite spots in the yard – a wide patch of grass with some lavender bushes around it. It smelled nice, and was slightly shaded by some of the trees. Once they settled, the trays and mugs just out of Emery’s reach, she patted the space between them, just in case Alvin wanted to be able to enjoy his tea without having a squirming child in his arms. She was already reaching for something she saw, anyway.

Zinnia sank onto the grass (she should have brought a blanket out, but oh well, she’d remember for next time), before she allowed herself a sigh. Not a weary one, just the kind of soft exhale that came with sitting down after too long on your feet. Zinnia’s gaze drifted over the familiar shapes of her garden as Alvin called it in adventure: the bits that had grown wild, the ones she meant to tend but didn’t get around to this year, and the ones she never quite had time for. This year will be better, for sure.

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