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“I thought the children and I could make some ornaments out of pine cones, peanut butter and birdseed. We also might string some popcorn garlands. That’s for another day, though. Today’s been busy enough.” She paused. “Thank you for your help and saving me from a broken arm.”

“You’re welcome. I probably need to head back before Kelsey and Eric send out a search party for us.”

“Turn on the lights!” Susie said in one of her moments of startling clarity.

“Yes. Definitely. You need to see the whole thing,” Hannah said. She went up to the porch and plugged in a couple of heavy-duty outdoor extension cords. Bright colors immediately lit up the night.

Susie clapped her hands. “Pretty!” she exclaimed.

“I love it,” Riley said.

“Thank you for your help,” Hannah said.

“You’re welcome.” Wes went to his mother and pulled her to her feet, tucking her arm in his once more.

“Do you want to take Kodi’s leash?” he asked his nephew.

Tyler nodded enthusiastically when Wes handed it to him. The dog rose slowly and began limping back the way they had come.

“Good night,” Hannah said. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

He nodded and they began to make their way toward his sister’s house. With each step, he felt the ache of separating from her all over again.

Leaving her once had just about destroyed him. He couldn’t put either of them through that again.

Not that she would let him. Despite her politeness to him and her warmth to his mother, Wes could tell Hannah had no intention of letting him back into her life, except maybe for putting together bed frames and decorating pine trees.

Chapter 9

While the first few days with the children living in her home were admittedly tough, filled with meltdowns and missteps, within a few days they had all begun to slip into a routine of sorts.

She wouldn’t have called it easy by any means. Hectic and complicated fit better. She had no idea how working mothers did this all the time, juggling schoolwork, mealtimes and bedtimes as well as her professional responsibilities.

The highlight of each day was the hour of FaceTiming with Morgan before the children went to bed each night.

Their mother, who Hannah thought seemed noticeably more fragile with each passing day, would read them a story, listen to them talk about their day and even help them with homework.

After they had been staying with Hannah more than a week, the children said goodbye to their mother when they ended their FaceTime call and headed into Hannah’s living room to finish the show they had been watching.

Hannah stayed at the kitchen table, out of view and earshot from the children.

“How are you really doing?” Hannah asked her friend when she could hear the TV start up again in the other room.

Morgan’s cheerful smile slid away now that her children were gone. She closed her eyes, her features completely exhausted. “It’s so hard.”

The blunt honesty broke Hannah’s heart. “I’m sorry. What can I do? What do you need?”

“You’re doing more than I could ever ask. And what I need is to wake up and have this all be a nightmare,” Morgan said. “I should be there with my kids. They need me.”

“They do. And they have you. These nightly visits are pure joy for them.”

“For me too. I just wish I could hug them.”

“You will soon. In the meantime, they’re getting lots of hugs from me, I promise.”

“You have so many other things going on.” Morgan looked distressed.

“I do. But we’re making it work. I told you we would. I’m able to rearrange many of my therapy appointments during school hours and for those I can’t, I pick the kids up and take them with me. They’ve been big helps.”