Jacob suddenly spots Seth. He’s talking to the receptionist, looking visibly worried. Thrilled to have finally found her friend, Jacob marches over to give him a piece of her mind. She tugs on his pant leg. Seth looks down. Relief spills across his face.
“There you are, Jacklyn!” he says. “I was so worried when I turned around and you were gone!” He turns to the receptionist. “You can call off the search party. She’s here.”
“Let me see her,” the receptionist requests. Seth picks Jacob up and shows her to the receptionist. “Aw, she’s adorable!”
“Yep, she’s basically the best baby sister in the world.” Seth frowns at Jacob. “Except for when she wanders off.” Jacob’s head is spinning. What’s going on? “Well, I better get her home and down for her nap. See you later, Mellie.” With that, Seth hefts a diaper bag over his shoulder and carries Jacob out of the gym.
“Sef, what happen?” Jacob asks. Seth sighs. He carries Jacob to his car and opens the door. Jacob is buckled into a bright pink car seat she’s never seen before.
“You should be the one telling me, little sis. You’re the one who walked away the moment I turned my back. You need to be more careful, Jackie.”
“But-” Jacob starts.
“No buts,” Seth says firmly. He takes a pacifier out of the diaper bag and puts it in Jacob’s mouth. “Here. I know you hate leaving the gym, but try not to fuss too much, okay? You need to stay calm because naptime is soon.” Jacob obediently suckles on the pacifier.
Seth gets a text and checks his phone. At the sight of the background, Jacob sucks the pacifier more urgently. This morning, the background was of Seth and Jacob, back when she was a teenage boy. Now, the picture is Seth holding her as a little girl, even younger than she currently is.
She really is Jacklyn now, not Jacob.