I'd just gotten back from Puerto Rico after being there for five days. Even years after the hurricane, there was still relief effort to be done. I sighed as I set my suitcase down and tossed my keys on the counter. I wondered if anyone was still up. I soon got my answer when Molly came running, a huge smile on her face.

"Liiiin!!" she crashed into my arms and I laughed as I hugged her. She came up to my chin now as an 11 year old.

"Hi sweetheart," I said, kissing the top of her head. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," she said, stepping back to smile at me. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I start sixth grade tomorrow!" she said excitedly.

"I know!" I told her, knowing this was what she lived for. The beginning of the school year meant getting to shop for new school supplies. Her backpack was already set and ready to go, laying on one of the bar stools. She grabbed it and unzipped it and proceeded to show me her new folders, notebooks, and colorful gel pens. Molly was so excited.

"Can you take us to school tomorrow?" she asked, zipping it back up.

"I don't think I could miss it if I wanted to," I told her. "The twins are psyched out of their minds."

Raina and Felix would be starting kindergarten tomorrow at the same school where Molly and Cam went – Hunter College School. Cam would be a sophomore, Molly a fifth grader, and the twins in kindergarten.

"They both have their clothes set out by their beds," Molly reported. I heard steps in the hallway, and soon Pippa appeared in her nightgown and silk robe.

"I thought I heard something," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around me. We embraced warmly and I rocked her back in forth, inhaling her familiar scent. We'd only been apart for five days but I missed her terribly. I missed all the kids too. I gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek, knowing we'd have more privacy in the bedroom. "How was your flight?"

"Oh, it was fine," I said. "No hiccups."

"Good," she said, squeezing my arm. "Molly, why don't you hop into bed. It'll be morning before you know it."

She squealed a little and did a dance, then hugged us both one more time before disappearing into her bedroom. I chuckled at her.

"I don't think I've ever seen a child more excited about school," I reported as I got a beer out of the fridge. It had been a long day and I needed to unwind a bit.

"Wait until the morning when you see the twins," she said. "They've got their little backpacks packed up with their names on everything."

The twins would be in different classrooms. We'd decided it would be best for them to be separated. They'd been in the same class at preschool both years and seemed to have trouble branching out. They were each other's default best friends, so they didn't always see the point in trying to make new ones. Raina and Felix were incredibly close, which was great, but they needed some more socialization. They'd still see each other at lunch and recess and at home all the time, of course.

"They're so cute," I mused, popping the cap off my beer with the opener. I took a long swig and sighed. "I'm guessing Cam isn't so excited."

She sat down at one of the bar stools and I stayed standing to drink. "Not so much."

"How was she?" I asked, though we'd texted a lot.

"Mouthy," she reported and I nodded. Cam had been a lot to deal with lately. She was definitely in the rebellious teen phase and liked to challenge authority. She'd always been a bit of a firecracker, but it had stopped being cute and had started being a bit offensive. "I ended up grounding her for a week."

"Not surprising," I commented as I swigged another beer. We anticipated the new school year to be a challenge with Cam once again. She still struggled with her dyslexia and often used it as an excuse not to try hard. She gave up easily when things didn't come quickly. I tried being patient with her, but sometimes her attitude was so bad that I ended up having to threaten her instead. She was starting to put a strain on our family.

Pippa stood up and rubbed her hand over my chest, then kissed me gently. "I'm going to bed," she told me quietly. "Don't be too long."

I stood in the kitchen by myself for ten more minutes or so, sipping my beer. When I was done, I recycled the bottle and headed down the hallway. I gently opened the twins' bedroom door to check in on them. Just as Molly had reported, their outfits for the next day were already picked out and set on the floor. I grinned at their sleeping forms and closed the door.

Molly's room was dark, but Cam's was still light. I knocked gently before pushing the door open. She was laying on top of her bed, her feet up the wall as she played on her phone.

"Hey, kiddo," I told her, crossing the room. She was upside down to me, so I just leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Hey," she said quietly, not taking her eyes off the phone.

"You ready for school tomorrow?" I asked.

"I guess," she said. Unlike her siblings, her backpack was still stuffed in her closet and her new school supplies were still in the Target bag. She'd stopped being excited about school years ago.

"Remember what we talked about?" I asked her gently. She sighed and rolled over, then propped her head up in her hand.

"Yes," she groaned a little.

"It's all in the attitude," I reminded her. "If you have a positive outlook, things will go better. You need to ask your teachers for help when you need it instead of shutting down."

"Okay," she said shortly, obviously not wanting to have a conversation. 

"Alright. Into bed," I told her, pulling the sheets back. She sighed as she climbed in. "Phone away."

She leaned over and plugged it in, then settled in.

"I love you," I told her, kissing her forehead once again.

"Love you too," she chimed automatically. I smiled at her as I reached her door and turned out the light.

I got my suitcase from the kitchen and rolled it back to my bedroom. I wasn't going to bother unpacking tonight, but I did need my toothbrush. After brushing and changing, I joined my beautiful wife in bed. I immediately pulled her body towards mine, letting my hand travel down the back of her pajama shorts. She giggled.

"Miss me?"

"You have no idea," I told her before kissing her. She responded fervently, and soon we were lost in our kisses. The best part of being away was coming home.