As excited as Riley was to spend the evening with Ms. Molly, she’s just as hyped up about going home when I swing by to pick her up. “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” she cries when she sees me in the doorway, and she maintains a steady stream of chatter all the way home. I almost worry she’ll be too wound up to get to bed, but a cup of warm milk calms her down a bit, as does a read through her favorite bedtime book. Soon she’s dozing off beside me on the couch, and she only puts up a half-hearted resistance when I scoop her up in my arms to take her to bed.
“Come on, love,” I say, carrying her even though she’s getting too old for it and the muscles in my shoulders ache in protest. “Tomorrow’s Friday, so you have one more day of getting up early for school before you can stay up as late as you want
