"Okay, so what do we need to do?" I asked as I stood gazing around the kitchen.

"About what?" Billy asked over his shoulder as he washed the lunch dishes.

"Kids coming; should we lock the drawers or something?" I pulled open a drawer filled with old ketchup packets and chopsticks.

"Yes, nail them shut; it must be our only option."

"Sarcasm noted and not appreciated."

"Lil." Billy dried his hands and grasped my shoulders. "This is their house. It's already set up for them. There's no additional kid-proofing needed. This is going to be fine; it might even be fun." He gazed straight into my eyes.

I knew his words were supposed to be soothing, but they panicked me even more.

"Geez, Lil, I've never seen you like this." His chest jolted with a silent laugh as he pulled me in for a hug.

"And now you know why I don't have kids. I can barely keep myself alive; the thought of keeping a child safe is the most frightening thing in the entire world."

"Well then, it sounds like you have the right attitude, at least."

"Yes, protect young life at all costs. I'm ready to throw myself in front of oncoming buses," I murmured into his shoulder.

"Lucky for you, the city changed the bus route last week, and it no longer goes through the house."

"Sarcasm noted and still not appreciated," I muttered again as I pushed off him. "Is Sarah dropping them off?"

"I'd assume so, but I guess I don't know for sure. She could send her mom to drop them off." Billy was overly calm about the prospect of seeing Sarah.

The answer came shortly after as a car door slam rattled the front windows. Sarah's long, elegant frame was pacing to the front door with Jackson in her arms and Viv scampering up the steps ahead of her. Billy was just a second late to get the door ahead of Sarah's knock.

"Why would you knock on the door?" Viv was irritated by how silly her mom's knock had been. "We're home," she added as she crashed into Billy's legs, burrowing her head into his knees.

"Hey, Vivee." He patted her head as he spoke. "Hey, Sarah," Billy added as he lifted his face to hers and his arms to Jackson, who happily switched to his father with an inaudible babble.

"Hi," Sarah spoke with an awkwardness that seemed to culminate when her eyes flicked to me.

"How's your mom?" Billy asked in the tight voice he used when trying to sound pleasant and casual, but he felt anything but pleasant and casual.

"Well, Viv certainly kept her on her toes this week." They shared a laugh as they both moved their gaze to Viv, who was running literal circles around Billy's legs.

"I can take them more; I want them more. Just let me know; I can adjust my schedule," Billy offered.

"Yeah, we'll figure all that out." Sarah's words were short again. "Hello, Lily." She nodded to me. "You look well."

"Thank you," I weakly said. Sarah always made me feel inadequate with her effortless beauty and grace. "So do you, as always."

"Well, I should get going before I miss my flight." She said her goodbyes to the kids and passed along a few recent updates. Jackson had a fever a couple of nights ago; Viv had been refusing to eat anything but toast with peanut butter, which, incidentally, made me crave toast with peanut butter.

"Viv, do you remember my friend Lily? She's your godmother." Billy introduced after Sarah departed.

"Are you married to Uncle Tim and Aunt Tess?" Viv asked as she rested her head on Billy's legs again.

"No," I laughed. "I'm not married to anyone."

"Why not? Aren't all adults married?" She pressed.

"They're not, and maybe I'm not an adult," I added.

"But you're big and friends with my dad. He's grown up," she argued.

"Both true, but guilt by association is a slippery slope," I pointed out.

Viv looked at me, confused.

"Lil, she's four." Billy reminded me as he shifted Jackson in his arms. "I got to change him; you good?"

"Yeah, I'll explain the slippery slope," I teased at him.

Viv had already settled into the living room, so I joined her, sitting on the couch as she played with some toys on the floor. After a few quiet moments, she climbed up on the couch next to me.

"What's a slope?" When she looked up at me, I saw the unmistakable hazel eyes of Billy gazing back at me.

"A slope is a hill," I factually answered. "So, a slippery slope can be hard to climb back up once you have slid to the bottom."

"When it rains, we have a slippery slope in the backyard. One time when we were hiking, Uncle Tim slid all the way down it. He got all messy, so Dad said I couldn't do it. It looked fun, though, like sledding."

"That sounds like Timmy," I laughed.

"Your nails are pretty." Viv snuggled into my side and ran tiny fingers over my red nails.

"Thank you. Maybe if we ask nice, your dad will let us paint yours," I offered.

"Sometimes my mom and I paint nails, but not red. Dad says red is for when I'm older. I don't care; I like yellow anyway." She was lost in a babble.

"Huh, red is his favorite color," I said to myself.

"Are we good in here?" Billy asked as he came in with Jackson in his arms.

"Dad, red is your favorite color," Viv announced.

"Yes, it is," Billy agreed.

"So, why can't I have red nails if it's your favorite?" She prodded.

Billy shot me a look. "Red is an adult color. Besides, your favorite color is yellow, like Lil's."

"Your favorite color is yellow too?" She turned her attention back to me.

"It is," I smiled down at her.

"Dad, can we paint our nails?" Lil asked.

"Yes, but not red," he reminded her.

"But it's your favorite." Viv's little voice came with exasperation.

"No red, Viv," Billy warned.

"Sounds like a slippery slope," she murmured.

I couldn't help but laugh. It was hilarious and surprisingly well-used.

"Really? I'm gone ten minutes," Billy shot at me as I gave him a shrug amidst a stifled chuckle.

"I'll get my nail polishes," I added as I got up.

"Can I come?" Viv asked as she got up with me.

"Sure," but then panic struck as I thought of her climbing the stairs. What if she fell? As we approached them, I added, "do you need help climbing the stairs?"

"No," Viv said, sounding confused as she climbed. "Do you need help climbing the stairs?" She asked back. If she hadn't been four and the tone had been different, I'd have sworn it was sarcasm.

We settled back into the living room, and I began to paint Viv's nails. Billy was busy playing with Jackson on the couch.

"You're really good at doing nails," Viv noted.

"Thanks," I smile to myself. I was terrible at doing nails, but hers were a perfect size and shape for one swipe of the brush; it made it easier.

"Do you like apples?" She randomly asked.

"I do, but only crunchy ones that are tart. I'm not too fond of mushy apples. What about you?" I asked back.

"I like apples when we go pick them. Last month, Aunt Tess took me apple picking with James; it was so fun. A bee chased Uncle Tim all around, and he screamed."

"Uncle Tim is fun," I smiled. I didn't question whether Tim was good with kids; I knew he was. "I like strawberries the best. When I was little, my mom would take me strawberry picking, but I just sat there and ate them until I made myself sick." We both giggled. "When I was your age, my dad started playing records for me. Does your dad do that?" I continued.

"Yeah, sometimes. I like Monster Mash."

"It's a graveyard smash. I loved a song called Get Back by The Beatles when I was around your age. Have you heard that one?"

"I don't think so. Can we do that next?"

"Sure, we'll sneak away," I dropped my voice low, like we were conspiring.

"Hey, what are you two whispering about?" Billy shot from the couch.

Viv and I giggled and let out a "nothing" in unison.

"Billy, is your jukebox still around?" I asked between blowing on Viv's nails.

"Yeah, it's in the basement with my albums. Why?"

"Well, the best way to get nails to dry is with a dance party." I winked at Viv.

"That sounds fun," Billy started to get up.

"Sorry, buddy, this is girls only," I shook my head at him.

"Yeah." Viv got up and set a tiny hand on his knee, "sorry, buddy, this is girls only."

Billy looked wide-eyed between us. "There's two of you now," he murmured to himself.

"We still love you; we just need girl time," I added to soften the blow.

Viv stood on her toes and kissed her dad on the cheek. "Love you, Daddy," she chirped before skipping towards the basement door.

"Yeah, love you, Billy," I added in the same sing-song voice before kissing his other cheek and following Viv.