“Dad, come quick—Alice is calling.”

Philip appeared beside her, both of them smiling widely at the sight of their daughter.

“Hey, kiddo, how’s the adventure going?”

Alice launched into an enthusiastic recounting of our activities, words tumbling over each other.

I watched Rebecca and Philip’s faces as they listened, noting their genuine interest and the occasional glance in my direction—gauging, perhaps, how I was handling the solo caretaking they’d always insisted was too much for me.

“It sounds amazing, sweetheart,” Rebecca said when Alice finally paused for breath.