“Why did you call her that?” Sutton asks, voice as gentle as ever from across the room. When she doesn’t answer right away, he prompts, “Eleanor.”
Her spine straightens. She looks between us, worried she might be in trouble. “I want her to be my mom. She’s really nice, Daddy, and she takes good care of me, and she’s around all the time,” she pleads with Sutton as if he’s going to grant her wish.
“Would you give us a minute?” Sutton asks me tersely, but it’s less of a question and more of a demand.
Noticing the stove is still on, I cut the heat, lest we have another burnt bacon mishap, and excuse myself downstairs to get dressed. Searching through my loosely packed duffel, I find a pair of wide-leg dark wash jeans. These will pair nicely with a flowy short-sleeved white top. The soft fabric hugs my chest comfortably while remaining loose around my waist, promising cool comfort for the warm day ahead.
“Alice,” Sutton’s voice carries down the stairs, beckoning me back to the kitchen.
I run a brush lightly over my waves and pull my hair into a messy bun as I ascend the steps. My heart rate increases the closer I get, not sure what I’m about to walk into. I’m incredibly touched by her wishes, but I hope Sutton cleared things up. She’s just confused by having a caring woman in her life. An outsider. One who isn’t already married to one of her uncles for probably the first time ever.
I enter the kitchen and find a solemn little girl with a plate of eggs and toast untouched in front of her. Sutton stands nearby, his expression unreadable as he wipes down the stove, the tension in the room palpable.
“I’m sorry, Miss Alice,” Nellie says, her tearful gaze fixed on her breakfast.
“You don’t need to apologize, sweetheart.” I kneel beside her. “I understand why you feel the way you do.”
She meets my eyes, breaking my heart with her watery blues. “You do?”
I take a deep breath, hoping I’m not overstepping. “I grew up without a dad, so I know what it’s like to only have one parent.”
Nellie turns toward me, curiosity flickering across her face. “Did you ever get a new one?”
I shake my head. “No, I didn’t. But that’s okay. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because the number of parents doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that you have someone who loves you very much. And I know for a fact that your dad loves you enough for two parents.”
She picks up a triangle of toast, a sign that her heart is lightening as she considers my words. “He does love me a lot.”
“I know. But do you know what else makes you special? Something you have that a lot of other people don’t?”
“What’s that?”
“Well, let’s see.” I tap my chin thoughtfully. “How many uncles do you have?”
Her lips purse in concentration as she ticks off her fingers. “I have… seven!”
“How many aunties do you have?”
“Um… six!”
“Right, so that’s thirteen. Plus, you have two grandmas, so that’s?—”
“Fifteen!” Nellie’s excitement grows as she realizes the number.
“You have fifteen people, not including your dad, who love you so very much.” I tilt my head and smile. “And you also have me. I might not be able to be your mamma, but I love you too, sweetheart.” My voice wavers with emotion at the admission.
She sits uncharacteristically still, absorbing what I’ve shared. She drops her toast onto her plate. “That’s a lot of people. Plus you and Daddy, that’s seventeen people. I didn’t even know I knew seventeen people.”
I laugh lightly, regaining my feet. “Now you do. And they’re all rooting for you, kiddo. You’re a very lucky girl.”
She beams at me, dunking her toast into her egg yolk. “Thanks, Miss Alice.”
“You’re very welcome.”
Crisis seemingly averted, I cross the kitchen to my forgotten coffee. Sutton stops me with a tight grip around my elbow.
