We All Needed

EZEKIEL

Vivienne was watching me and Vince closely, her arms crossed, clearly caught off guard by where this conversation was heading. I could see she hadn’t expected the lie to turn into an actual plan, but she didn’t say anything to contradict me.

Vince thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“Okay,” he said quietly, turning back to his puzzle, though he wasn’t as focused on it as before. I could tell the idea of a family trip had caught his interest, even if he was trying to play it cool.

As for me, I felt like I’d just made a split-second decision that could either end in disaster or turn into something good.

I glanced at Vivienne, trying to read her expression. She looked back at me and she was probably wondering how I was going to pull this off.

Before we could say anything more, Vera came rushing back downstairs, her arms full of clothes, toys, and who knows what else.

“I’m ready, Dad! When are we leaving?” she asked, her face flushed with excitement.

I chuckled, feeling