She’d burst into tears the moment she saw Cece standing there with that carefully blank expression she’d perfected over the years.
Then she’d completely fallen apart after Cece flatly asked—
“Do you need anything?”
Four simple words.
That was all it took.
It was difficult to understand Eloise through the sobs and apologies, but Cece somehow heard every one of them.
Apparently, she and Samuel had spent weekslearning everything they could about bipolar disorder.
And somewhere along the way, they’d stumbled across the same painful realizations I once had.
Thankfully, the diagnosis hadn’t changed Cece in their eyes. It had simply given a name to years of struggles they’d failed to see.
That wasn’t even the hardest part.
Eloise admitted, through tears, that she’d begun reading about avoidant attachment theory, too.
She’d quietly accepted responsibility for the years of emotional neglect she’d convinced herself had simply been “good parenting of a hyper-independent child.”
Whether Cece’s avoidant attachment could truly be traced back to that wasn’t something anyone could answer with certainty.
But it was something Cece now discussed regularly with her therapist.
Since that day, things had been… different.
She still declined invitations whenever she wasn’t up for them. The difference was that her parents finally respected the answer. And to her surprise, every family dinner now came with weeks of notice instead of days.
Every invitation included an easy out.
No guilt.
No manipulation.
Just a simple,We’d love to have you if you’re feeling up to it.
Trust wasn’t something rebuilt overnight.
God knew Cece and I had learned that ourselves.
But she was trying.
And I couldn’t have been prouder of her for that.
I smile as I watch her head tip back in genuinelaughter at whatever ridiculous thing her mother has just said. I hope Eloise understands just how monumental that laugh really is.
I clear my throat as I step farther inside.
Cece looks over immediately.
Her entire face softens.
Without a word, I cross the room and cup her cheek before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.
“Hey, baby.”
