I'm New York City

twenty six

While we were packing up to go back to the city, I noticed how Sage still didn't seem like her normal self that we came to New York City with. I was definitely more worried now than ever. I tried my best to figure out what was actually wrong with her, by not talking to her, knowing she wouldn't tell me. She acted normal around Ivy the whole time, being the normal big sister she is. 

When we were saying our goodbyes to my parents and Austin, the girls were as sad as can be. I don't even wanna know how they're going to react when we bring Joe to the airport right when we get back. I was started to panic, wondering if I'd be able to handle the two by myself for awhile. I know that Sage is old enough to handle things on her own, but knowing my Sage, she needs me as much as Ivy does. 

"You ready girls?" I asked, as we got the signal that we were good to head off of my jet. I followed the girls behind them as we were quickly ushered to our car where we were met with Joe who sat in the front seat. 

"Dad!" Ivy yelled, leaning over to hug him. Sage smiled widely when it was her turn and her and Joe had a long silent hug before the two got back into their seats. I sighed, giving him a soft smile as we shared a long kiss. 

As we arrived back to our place, the girls seemed more than happy to be back, surprisingly. Joe pulled me into the corner of the kitchen where he gave me a tight hug, kissing my cheek. I've never missed him so much. 

"How was your week? Really?" he asked.

"It started out a little bumpy, but it was a very needed break for us. I think we're all ready to get back into the routine of things," I told him. I didn't want to even talk about him leaving tomorrow. 

We heard the girls come down soon after, changed into new clothes and now lounging in the living room. Ivy was writing a letter to her teacher while Sage was scrolling through Netflix. I chuckled, seeing how focused Ivy was on writing her letter. Joe and I sat down with the two girls, making sure they spent as much time with their father before he leaves. 

I was fighting for my life, holding back the tears, but I know that once tomorrow comes, nothing's stopping them. Sage leaned against Joe as the two focused on the movie and I looked over Ivy's finished letter. Ivy still has a couple days before she goes back to school and I also decided that I'd bake some treats for her classes. 

By the time morning came around, I rolled over to see Joe smiling at me with sad eyes. Today was the day. 

"Come here, babe," he whispered, pulling me into his embrace. I melted to his touch, burring my head into his chest as I let the sobs out. I felt him softly rub circles around my back as he kissed my head. 

"I'll be back before you know it, I'll visit you guys every chance possible and we can plan visits for you all to go there," he said. 

I shook my head. I still wasn't going to be the same. I haven't been away from Joe in forever, ever since we got back together and I wasn't planning on it anytime soon until now. I wanted him to just quit his job and just stay at home with me and focus on our girls.

"What am I gonna do, without you?" I sniffled, looking up at him. 

"Baby, it'll be alright. I'll call you everyday, I will make sure you still feel my presence even when I'm miles away," he chuckled. 

"I'm scared for Sage," I whispered.

He nodded his head, "I don't even wanna think about it," he sighed.

We all headed out the door, heading back to the airport where my jet was waiting for him to take him to California. Sage didn't speak much this morning, just giving us nods and little smiles. Ivy on the other hand, made it very known how upset she was. 

"Dad, you can't forget about me when you're working!" Ivy demanded.

"How could I forget about you?!" he laughed. 

Joe and I shared one last long, final hug as we stood at the bottom of the stairs of the plane. Ivy jumped into his arms, making Joe swing her around as she laughed. Sage looked at the two, standing behind me fidgeting with her fingers. I wrapped an arm around her, pushing her towards Joe. I pulled Ivy back, seeing that she was taking all his time up. 

Joe wrapped Sage in a tight hug, whispering something in her ear as she had her head tucked into his chest. I saw her body begin to shake, signaling that she was now crying. I looked away for a moment, not wanting to shed anymore tears. Joe's tears were now free flowing, kissing Sage's head repeatedly. This just didn't seem right. 

"I love you, so much, baby girl," he told her.

Sage shook her head, as Joe tried to gently pull her arms off of him. I quickly pulled Sage into my arms, letting her cry into my chest as I watched Joe head into the jet. Ivy looked away, heading into the car, not wanting to see Sage cry any longer. When I climbed back into the car, Sage laid her head on my lap as I ran my fingers through her long hair. 

When we arrived back home, I signaled for Ivy to head into the office, to make sure she was ready to head back to school. I pulled Sage over to the couch, letting her crash on top of me, not letting me see her face. I wrapped my arms around my oldest's body and we laid in silence for a while. 

"What's going through your head, baby," I asked, trying to take a peek at her, but she turned her head the other way. 

Sage sniffled, looking up at me with red eyes and a big frown on her face. I leaned down to kiss her forehead. I've never seen her so upset. She shrugged her shoulders, nuzzling her face more into my chest, making me chuckle. 

"Dad's not here," she frowned.

 I pressed my lips together, taking a deep breath. "He'll be back before you know it," I kissed her head. 

"I wish I went with him," she whispered, making me freeze.

I looked down to see her staring off in space. "What?" I asked.

Sage shook her head, shutting her eyes. I sighed, rubbing her back as I stayed holding onto her. 

Blake had called, mentioning that Lily had gone over to their place and they wanted to invite Sage over. I knew it would be good for Sage to go out and also knew that she missed her friends. When I told her to news, she was more than excited, she even packed a bag to stay the night before they go back to school. 

"Why couldn't I go?" Ivy asked, as Sage walked out the door. 

"Because, I wanna spend some time with you," I smiled, walking back over to the living room. I saw a smile appear onto her face as we sat back down onto the couch. 

"Sage is going to be gone until tomorrow afternoon, so what does my youngest baby wanna do?" I asked, holding her close to my side. 

I had already pre planned what I was going to be baking for Ivy's classes, but I didn't want to start baking them until the night before she has to go back to school, so they'd be fresh. 

"I just want to be near you," she mumbled into my side. I chuckled, running my fingers through her hair as I turned on the T.V., letting her choose what to watch. We had only lasted a couple minutes until she started dosing off. I looked at the time and it was still early in the evening. I know that taking Joe to the airport took up our whole morning and also made them even more tired, knowing they had to get up extra early to drop their dad off. 

"Babe, go up to your room for a nap and than you and I can cook dinner later," I whispered into her ear. 

She shook her head, not letting go of me. "Your room," she mumbled, making me smile. 

We both climbed up the stairs and headed towards Joe and I's room where I helped her under the covers on her dad's side of the bed. Me, feeling tired as well, got underneath with her. I haven't slept with Ivy in such a long time, if I did, we all slept together as a family, but I would always end up just sleeping with Sage.

I held her close, looking at every detail on her face as she fell fast asleep. I couldn't help by smile from how much she looked like Joe. I remember Joe constantly bragging about finally having a kid that looks like him when she was a baby. While I was in a trance, I saw that Joe had called me me, probably to tell me that he had landed. I didn't feel like talking to him at the moment, knowing it would make me miss him, so I just left it.