I love her.
“It’s okay, Chunk,” Rissa whispered. “You’re okay.”
Again, I struggled to turn away from the scene in front of me. My son, and my . . . Rissa.
“Asa?” Rissa called out softly.
“Huh?”
“I need a diaper.”
My eyes flickered to my sister, who was also watching the scene unfold with a soft expression in her eyes. When she caught my gaze, she smiled. There were no words, but there was a simple understanding, like she’d sensed the shift within me.
The urge to unburden myself, to tell Bliss everything, was strong. She always provided insight when I needed it. She grounded me in an unspoken but necessary way. And I needed that right now. I needed her to tell me I wasn’t trippin’, that I wasn’t going to fall off the cliff by myself.
“Asa?” Rissa called out again, this time louder.
I shook myself out of my thoughts and went to the bedroom to retrieve the diaper. Once I was in the safety of the bedroom, away from probing eyes, I sucked in a deep breath and braced my hand on the dresser.
“Asa,” Bliss whispered, smoothing a hand over my back.
Closing my eyes, I relaxed. The familiar comfort of her touch soothed the frayed edges of my mind, my heart. “I’m . . .”
“In love,” she said.
My eyes flashed to her.
“With your baby,” she continued. “And with Rissa.”
I dropped my head.
Bliss stepped closer. “It’s okay, Baby Boy.”
“What if it’s not?”
“Loving someone isn’t wrong. If anything, it’s freedom. Even if it ends, it’s a privilege to feel it.”
My throat burned as fresh tears pricked my eyes. “He’s my son,” I admitted for the first time loud.
She flashed a wobbly smile. “He definitely is.”
“I didn’t know if I could feel this way.”
“I knew.”
“How?” I asked.
“Because I know you,” she replied with a shrug. “I know that you love hard and completely. Unconditionally.”
“I want to protect him.”
“That’s normal.”
“I want him to have everything Gemma wanted for him.”
“Including you.”
I met her gaze. “I need to make sure he has what he needs to thrive, to live a full life. Love, family . . . He deserves that.”
