Soon, flour dusted the counter, eggshells were scattered around, and a bag of sugar had tipped over, spilling its contents. It was a mess, but it was a fun mess. We were laughing and joking, enjoying the process of baking together.

While the cake was still biding its time in the oven, I quickly slipped out of the kitchen to go to the bathroom, telling Chris to sit and wait for me at the dining table until I returned. We were going to build some puzzles there until the cake was ...