“Mommy.” Gregory tilted his head upward and smiled brightly at me.
I reveled in the warmth that spread through my body at his loving address. Stroking his head fondly, I cooed, “Good boy, Gregory.”
Audrey’s gaze darted between Nora and me as a frown appeared on her face. “Two mommies?”
“No, this is Mommy,” Gregory insisted softly. “Didn’t you tell me that Mommy smelled weird? Why don’t you smell her now?”
A light bulb seemed to go off in Audrey’s head as she immediately stretched her arms out toward me and cried, “I want a hug!”
I carried her with a smile on my face. Audrey wrapped her arms around my neck, and I giggled at the ticklish sensation.
“Do you smell it now?” I asked good-naturedly.
Audrey nodded vigorously and exclaimed, “Yeah!” She turned her head to face me and continued, “This is Mommy’s smell! You’re Mommy!”
I could not help but chuckle at her innocence, and I pinched her cheek fondly as I teased, “Could you tell me how I smell different compared to Ms. Nora?”
“Hmm.” My daughter pouted her lips in deep thought before shaking her head. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
“We wanted to play a prank on you two, but it looks like you knew everything from the start,” Nora interrupted as she set the cake in her hands aside. “Audrey, won’t you tell me how you knew we were different? I even used the same perfume as your mommy.”
Audrey raised her volume and replied, “It’s not the perfume! I-I- It’s just different! I know it’s different.”
As if fearful that we would continue interrogating her, she buried her head in my chest and avoided our gazes.
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