#all again

Helen laughed, giving Loretta a little wave goodbye as she did. Loretta blew her a kiss in response, they were two seconds back down the driveway before she was leaning a bit too far out of her seatbelt for Gale's comfort.

"Gotta sit on your bottom baby," He said, Loretta only wiggling more- getting what she'd been after when she grabbed her bag from where Gale had sat it on the floor.

"Made somethin' for you with Auntie Helen, don't want it to get ruined." She said with a huff, holding her bag tightly over her lap- peeking inside of it occasionally.

"You did huh?" Gale said as he drove.

"Mhm. Can't show you yet though. Cause it's for you and and John."

Loretta couldn't hide a little grin from him as she spoke, Gale feeling one tugging at his own face as warmth spread in his chest. It'd been almost three years since the dust had settled, but every little reminder of the life that had worked out for them made him feel like it was the first night in their house all over again.

The warm feeling hadn't left when they got back to the house. Loretta hopped out of the truck without help to run up and bang on the front door, backpack that was a size too big for her hanging off her shoulders. John looked like he'd just been coming to answer Loretta's pounding on the wood when they came in, still in the pajamas he'd been in when Gale had left to get her.

Loretta was running into him before he could get a word in, winding her arms around his neck and giggling loud when he picked her up, looping one hand under her knees to swing her by.

"Are you Loretta?" John joked, putting a hand against her cheek, tilting his head as he gave it a little pat. "I think this might be an imposter Gale, what should we do?"

"It's meeee." She insisted, John furrowing his eyebrows at her for a moment before letting out a loud laugh, tickling her sides as he set her back on her feet. She didn't go far, lingering next to him and leaning against his leg.

It didn't take long for him to cave to her, letting out an oof that almost made Gale feel a little bad as he sat down on the floor, Loretta scooting back between his knees.

"You wanna show us what you made with Helen baby?" Gale said when she passed him her shoes, John moving the straps of her bag over her arms and passing it to her over her head. She dug around it for a moment, tounge out in concentration in the same way both men always had it.

She found what she’d been looking for as Gale sat down on the bench by the door. Pulling three tissue paper flowers that had been somehow affixed to actual sticks out of her bag, her tongue was still pressed between her lips as she fiddled with them.

“This one is for you, cuz- cause it's blue," She said as she handed that one back to John, holding another out to Gale. "And this one is for daddy cause it's yellow, and the pink one’s mine.”

"Wow peanut, you made these?" John said, holding the one she’d handed him carefully.

"Auntie Helen helped me a little bit." She said quietly, looking across towards Gale expectantly.

"They're beautiful Lor, you girls did good."

John rested his chin on top of Loretta’s head, eyes lifting to look up at where Gale had seated himself. There was a certain fondness in his face that’d made him cry a time or two before.

I love you, Gale thought. I love you, I love you.

"I love you." John mouthed at him like he was reading his mind.