The living room echoed with laughter.
Kelsey had just tagged Keira, who squealed and bolted behind the armchair. Kelvin ducked under the table, giggling, his small shoulders shaking with joy. Georgia smiled faintly from the kitchen doorway, watching her children run free for the first time in what felt like forever.
"Not the vase!" Georgia called out as Keira's foot knocked against the side table.
"Sorry, Mommy!" Keira gasped, steadying it with both hands before running again. "I'm the hide-and-seek queen!"
"No, you're not!" Kelvin shouted, crawling across the floor. "I found you twice!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
Their grandparents laughed from the couch, watching the chaos unfold like they were catching up on years of missed bedtime stories and messy living rooms. Georg
