She said nothing as she closed the bathroom door, and it wasn’t until I looked back at Liam that I noticed I was smiling.
“With that,” Liam said.
“With Alara?”
“With you and Alara,” he clarified.
“There is no me and Alara.”
“Sure there’s not,” he said with an eye roll as he grabbed Tuna’s water bowl to refill it. “For the record, Char loves her. I like her. And we both know how much you’ve given up for us—”
“I didn’t give up shit for you. You’re what matters.”
“Still. We want you to be happy. So if it’s about us, don’t make it be that.”
Maybe the conversation would have gone on from there, but Alara made her way out of the bathroom with slightly less mussed hair and more open eyes.
“Coffee?” I asked.
“In a trough,” she said, collapsing onto one of the dining chairs. “Thanks for feeding him,” she said as she looked at Tuna.
“Liam walked him once already too. He got up early.”
“Every once in a while, the little jerk wants to be up at the crack of dawn. He usually sleeps in later. Was he with you all night?”
“He refused to be put out,” Liam said.
“He likes to sleep by someone’s feet. What?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at Liam.
“He slept tucked behind my legs.”
“You little shit,” she said, shaking her head at her dog. I brought over her coffee and got aThank you. “So, you cook breakfast, huh?”
“When we don’t do something easy like bagels, yeah.”
“For the record, I’m okay with bagels. You don’t have to cook for me.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Liam, you wanna wake up Char?”
“I can do it,” Alara offered, likely feeling like everyone else was already doing too much.
I don’t know what made me hand the spatula to Liam and follow, but I got into the doorway just as Alara moved a stuffed animal out of her way and sat on the side of Charlotte’s bed.
Her hand went to Char’s hip, and her voice was softer than I’d heard it before when she said, “Time to get up, Charlotte.”
There was some movement. Then, sleepy, small, hopeful, “Mom?”
Fuck.
Alara stiffened.
I went to take a step forward, ready to try to smooth it over, when she spoke.
“No, sweetie. It’s me, Alara,” she said, her tone still coaxing as Charlotte finally rolled over. I was close enough to watch the confusion morph into fresh grief that cracked my heart right down the center. “Oh, sweetie,” Alara murmured as Char’s hands went to her eyes and a choked sound escaped her. “I’m sorry.” She pulled her hand up and down Charlotte’s leg as a sniffle escaped her. “It’s okay to miss your mom.” Charlottewhimpered and nodded. “Do you want a hug? Or I can get your uncle or brother…”
Charlotte folded up, leaning into Alara’s chest and wrapping her arms so tightly around her bruised midsection that I knew it had to hurt. But Alara just wrapped her arms around Charlotte and held her as she cried.
