When my five-year-old daughter started talking about inviting someone I didn’t recognize to her birthday party, I chalked it up to her vivid imagination. Kids say the most unexpected things, after all. But what started as an offhand comment turned into a moment that reshaped everything I thought I knew about my life.
My husband Jake and I have been together for a decade, married for seven years. We’ve built a life rooted in love, shared laughter, and the kind of partnership that holds steady through everyday challenges. He’s always been a devoted father to our daughter Ellie—playful, kind-hearted, and full of warmth, even if a bit forgetful sometimes. To me, he was always enough.
Earlier this year, things changed. Jake lost his job—something that understandably shook him. While he kept a positive front, I could sense the weight he was carrying. I took on extra hours at work, and in the meantime, Ellie was thrilled to spend more time with him. Her days were filled with pancake breakfasts and games of princesses and dragons. Hearing her stories brought me comfort, even as we navigated an uncertain time.
One evening, as we were planning Ellie’s sixth birthday party, she rattled off her guest list with the joyful enthusiasm only a child can have. “Can I invite Ava and Sam? And the pretty lady who comes to see Daddy too?”
I paused. “What pretty lady, sweetheart?”
“The one with the long brown hair. She smells nice. She comes over when you’re at work. Sometimes they go for car rides.”
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