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There were plenty of times when I came over expecting to handle a few things around the house, only to discover that Henrietta had beaten me to it. His towels would be washed, folded, and stacked neatly in the linen closet, his refrigerator would have fresh groceries, and she’d leave little notes reminding him to eat something besides takeout.

Caspian used to fuss about it, telling her he had a housekeeper, and a woman who took good care of him. Henrietta would simply wave him off and remind him that none of those people had given birth to him, and that would be the end of that conversation.

But one thing I always appreciated about Henrietta was that she knew her place in our relationship.

As much as she loved taking care of Caspian, she never overstepped or made me feel like I wasn’t doing enough for him. She respected what we had and understood that I was his woman, not somebody competing with his mother for his attention. Whenever she came around, it was simply because she loved her son and wanted to make sure he was good… and I loved her for that.

Watching her with Kaidence, I realized she was pouring that same love into the little boy Caspian had never gotten the chance to meet. She couldn’t spoil her son anymore, so she made sure his child never went without affection, attention, or anything else she could give him.

Henrietta leaned forward and kissed Kaidence's forehead before releasing his cheeks.

“Now go get those shoes, handsome. Grandma’s ready to spend some money.”

His eyes widened with excitement, and he took off toward the bedroom.

I shook my head, smiling through the ache in my chest.

Some things really do run in the family.

Willow sat up on the sofa, her eyes widening. “Wait. Y’all are going shopping? Real shopping?”

“Real shopping,” Henrietta confirmed.

Willow was on her feet before Henrietta could finish her sentence, smoothing down her leggings. “Well, look at that! My schedule just completely cleared up.”

I stepped directly into her path, crossing my arms. “Sit back down.”

Willow frowned. “Why are you oppressing me?”

“Because you have four suitcases to help me pack.”

“Pack? Where are we going?”

“I’ll tell you in a minute.”

“Well, if this is something that can wait until later, I vote we respect its privacy and discuss it later.”

“It cannot. It’s a right-now discussion. Sit.”

Willow groaned theatrically, flopping backward onto the cushions like a Victorian maiden in distress. “I hate when you remember you’re the oldest.”

Kaidence came bounding out of the bedroom, his winter jacket zipped up to his chin and his oversized backpack bouncing against his shoulders.

I stared at him. “Why do you have that giant backpack on?”

“In case I get extra stuff,” he replied matter-of-factly.

Willow muffled a snort into a sofa pillow.

“The stores provide bags, Kaidence,” I said, shaking my head.

“My backpack holds more,” he explained, completely unbothered, before grabbing Henrietta’s hand. “Let’s go, Grandma!”

Henrietta chuckled, giving my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll bring him back before dinner. Call me if you need anything before we return.”

“I will. And try not to buy him the entire toy aisle.”

“No promises,” Henrietta winked, letting Kaidence drag her out into the hallway.