Sunny’s heart pounded against her ribs, her palm growing damp around Betty Bear’s worn fur. This was the moment — the first test of whether her return was truly wanted, truly needed.
Hailey rounded the corner first, her wild blonde curls bouncing, pink pajamas already on despite the early hour. She skidded to a stop so suddenly that her socked feet slipped on the polished floor. Her blue eyes widened, her small mouth forming a perfect ‘O’ of surprise.
“SUNNY!” The name exploded from Hailey’s lips, a primal cry of recognition and joy that seemed to burst from the depths of her five-year-old soul.
Before Sunny could respond, Hailey was airborne, launching herself forward with reckless abandon. Sunny barely had time to crouch, arms opening instinctively to catch the small missile of a child. The impact nearly knocked her backward, Hailey’s arms wrapping around her neck with desperate strength, small face burying into her shoulder.
“You came back, you came back, you came back,” Hailey chanted, the words muffled against Sunny’s sweater. Her tiny body trembled with emotion, fingers clutching at Sunny’s clothes as if afraid she might evaporate.
The dam broke within Sunny’s chest. Tears spilled over as she held Hailey close, breathing in the clean scent of children’s shampoo and the ineffable sweetness that belonged only to this particular child.
“I’m here,sweetheart,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I’m here.”
Maddie appeared in the hallway then, moving more cautiously than her younger sister. Unlike Hailey’s explosive joy, Maddie’s face held a complex mixture of hope and wariness, her body tense with the fear of another disappointment. She hung back, one hand gripping the door frame, her eyes locked on Sunny with an intensity that belied her six years.
Sunny met that penetrating gaze over Hailey’s shoulder, her heart breaking anew at the careful control the older girl maintained — so reminiscent of her father’s guarded emotions. She had learnt too young to protect herself from pain.
Gently disentangling herself from Hailey’s octopus-like embrace, Sunny crossed to Maddie, kneeling before her. Up close, she could see the faint shadows beneath the girl’s eyes, the slight pallor to her normally rosy complexion. Five days of separation had marked this child visibly.
“I have something for you,” Sunny said softly, holding out Betty Bear.
Maddie’s eyes widened, darting between the stuffed animal and Sunny’s face.
“Hailey gave her to me to keep me company,” Sunny explained. “She thought I might be lonely. And she was right — I was. But Betty Bear belongs with you.”
For a long moment, Maddie didn’t move, didn’t blink, her small chest barely rising with shallow breaths. Then, with deliberate slowness, she reached for the bear, fingers closing around the worn fabric. As she pulled Betty Bear to her chest, a single tear traced down her cheek.
“Are you staying?” Maddie asked, the question laying Sunny’s heart bare. Notwelcome backorI missed you, but the essential question:Will you leave usagain?
Sunny swallowed hard, feeling the weight of truth-telling to this perceptive child who had already endured too many broken promises.
“I want to try,” she said carefully, honestly. “I missed you and Hailey so much — more than I’ve ever missed anyone. And I’d like to stay, if that’s okay with you.”
Something flickered in Maddie’s eyes — a tentative hope warring with ingrained caution. “What if you and Daddy fight again?” she asked, cutting to the heart of the matter with the blunt directness of childhood.
Sunny was aware of Liam’s presence behind her, of his careful silence allowing this important conversation to unfold.
“Adults sometimes disagree,” Sunny acknowledged. “Your dad and I might disagree again about things. But I promise you this, Maddie: I will always talk to you about it. I will never just disappear again without saying goodbye. No matter what happens between grown-ups.”
It wasn’t a promise of forever — she couldn’t give that, not yet. But it was a promise of honesty, of respect, of recognition that these children deserved better than adults who vanished from their lives without explanation.
Maddie studied her face intently, searching for truth in her expression. Whatever she saw there must have satisfied her, because she gave a small, solemn nod.
“Okay,” she said simply.
Then, with the suddenness that only children can manage, she stepped forward into Sunny’s embrace, Betty Bear sandwiched between them. The rigid control in her small body gradually melted, her arms tightening around Sunny’s neck until she was clinging just as fiercely as Hailey had.
“I knew you’d come back,” Maddie whispered against Sunny’s ear, though the tremor in her voice belied the confidence of her words. “I knew Daddy would find you.”
Hailey joined them, wrapping her arms around both of them, creating a tangle of limbs and emotions on the polished floor of the entryway. Sunny closed her eyes, breathing through the overwhelming surge of feeling — belonging, relief, gratitude, and the lingering edge of fear that this fragile peace might still shatter.
“Girls, give Sunny some space to breathe,” came Beth’s gentle voice from the hallway.
Sunny looked up to see the housekeeper standing a few feet away, her normally composed features softened with emotion. Behind her kind smile lurked shadows of worry, and Sunny realized with a pang how difficult the past five days must have been for everyone in this household.
“It’s okay,” Sunny said, even as the girls reluctantly loosened their grip. “I missed these hugs.”
Standing shakily, she found herself immediately enveloped in Beth’s surprisingly strong arms The older woman held her close, patting her back with motherly affection.
