it was a thursday evening, slow and easy, the kind that settled into the bones like a deep breath. the week had been long, but today had been good—jj had gotten off work early, and somehow, so did emily. for once, emily was happy to be able to scoop aria up from daycare. usually, she didn’t get off as early as jj - so when she was able to be the one to get their daughter, she did, every time.
now, the sun was beginning its descent, spilling gold through the kitchen windows, catching in the fine strands of aria’s blonde hair, which still held a bit of static from where she had cuddled into jj earlier on the couch.
jj stood at the stove, barefoot, stirring a pot of pasta sauce. the scent of garlic, basil, and tomatoes filled the air, mingling with the warmth of home. she hummed softly as she cooked, moving easily around the kitchen. the boys were at their father's for the next few days, the atmosphere a little calmer without two teen boys roughhousing - even though they all missed it when it wasn't around.
at the table, emily sat with aria, watching as their two-year-old daughter colored. aria was still in her clothes from the day, her white polo shirt stained by a few drops of pink paint from art time at day school. her teacher apologized when emily picked her up, and the brunette mother laughed - stating that ‘we have stain remover for a reason, it's no issue’.
aria’s little legs kicked absentmindedly beneath the table as she leaned over the paper, completely focused, her tiny hands moving with quiet determination.
aria had always been a quiet child. observant. she spoke in words here and there, small phrases when she wanted to, but for the most part, she was content simply watching. she noticed everything—the way the wind made the trees dance, the way the morning light filtered through the blinds, the way emily and jj moved around each other so seamlessly, like they had spent their whole lives orbiting in the same space.
and she loved to color.
it had started as scribbles, uncoordinated lines that made no sense to anyone but her. but now—emily could see a shift. the shapes were becoming more intentional, the strokes more careful.
emily tilted her head, watching the way aria carefully switched crayons, choosing each one with clear intention. then it hit her.
these were not just..scribbles.
after a moment, aria set her crayon down and picked up another, switching colors.
emily tilted her head. “what’re you drawing, baby?”
aria didn’t look up right away, just kept coloring, brow furrowed in concentration. then, after a moment, she pointed to the figure in the center of the page—a round shape with two stick-like arms, a smiling face, and dark scribbles on top of its head.
“mama.”
she had drawn emily.
emily felt something catch in her throat as she took in the details—black crayon for her hair, little brown dots for eyes. the figure stood in the center of the page, arms stretched out, unmistakably happy.
aria switched colors, grabbing yellow next.
emily watched, entranced, as she carefully added another figure beside the first. this one had long, golden scribbles for hair, a matching smile, drawn just as big.
“who’s that?” emily asked, though she already knew the answer. she had also drawn jj.
“mommy.”
jj, still at the stove, turned slightly - hearing her name.
“what’s that, baby?”
emily pointed gently at the drawing, her heart swelling. “she’s drawing us.”
jj abandoned her cooking instantly - putting a top over the pot, and wiping her hands on a towel before crouching beside them.
“oh, sweetheart,” she breathed, her eyes softening as she looked at the page. “that’s beautiful.”
aria, still fully focused, picked up a light blonde crayon and carefully added a smaller figure beside them.
“me.”
emily exhaled slowly, her chest tight. she reached out, smoothing a gentle hand over aria’s hair, feeling the slight static cling from earlier. “you drew our family,” she murmured.
aria nodded, but she wasn’t done yet. she drew two more figures, bigger than her figure. boys, blonde hair. henry and michael, her big brothers.
she looked at the drawing again - then, as if realizing something important, grabbed an black crayon.
“oh,” she mumbled to herself, before scribbling quickly. “sergy too.”
emily let out a soft laugh as aria added a small, rounded shape with four little stick legs—a cat, their cat, sergio, curled up beside them.
jj chuckled, brushing a kiss against the crown of aria’s head. “of course. can’t forget sergio.”
emily’s chest ached in the best way as she took in the details—the way aria had chosen their favorite colors, on purpose. emily’s figure had black hair, a purple shirt, jj’s golden yellow hair, a blue shirt, henry and michael with blonde hair like jj's with green shirts - and aria’s hair a pale blonde - and a pink shirt.
she had noticed.
every time jj talked about how much she loved baby blues, every time emily commented on how much she liked deep, rich purples that reminded her of grapes at the vineyards in maine—aria had been listening. even when her older brothers teased her that 'green was superior' - she listened, even if she thought it was absurd.
and then there was the most important part of all.
the smiles.
each figure was grinning, big and happy, arms stretched toward each other, touching but not clinging—free and safe, together and warm.
that was how aria saw them.
that was what family meant to her.
happiness.
emily swallowed hard, glancing at jj, who looked just as overwhelmed.
“we’re framing this,” jj said firmly, voice thick with emotion.
aria looked up, her large brown eyes flicking with a bit of pride. she knew framing things, meant important.
“you like?”
emily nodded, pressing a lingering kiss to aria’s temple. “yeah, baby,” she whispered. “we love it.”
aria beamed at them, then, as if nothing in the world was more important than finishing her masterpiece, went back to coloring.
jj laughed softly, beginning to slowly clear the craft filled dinner table.
“alright, break time.. let’s eat, little artist.”
emily picked up the drawing, tracing the lines one more time, her heart impossibly full.
their quiet, observant daughter had just given them a glimpse into how she saw the world, how she saw her family.
and it was beautiful.