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Like it wasn't a happy accident.

Like it was intentional.

Just like her knowing sign.

Her stare blazes through me like she's trying to tell me something without words. Without hands.

But then, Vienna hugs me.

And I crumble into her.

After another tight squeeze, V pulls back suddenly.

"The note said something about cinnamon rolls?"

I look at Lenny who smiles and shrugs. "Kids are simple," she says to me.

I shake my head, huffing out a laugh. "One," I sign to V. "And then we have to go. We can't be late, okay?"

For the first time since this morning, talking about the appointment doesn't make her skin pale. And Vienna, just like any kid would, darts toward the dessert on the counter.

I watch as she lifts herself up onto a stool and dives into the box.

Then, I twist back to Lenny.

"What the hell was that, O'Reilly?" I ask, my voice low as I take a slow step toward her. My eyes search her face, trying to find the answer before she can say it.

Bracing for it.

"I learned," she says simply. Like she didn't just set my entire world on fire.

I shake my head. "Why? When—I didn't—"

Lenny's eyes drop to her hands. "Your mom told me about Vienna that day we ran into each other at Black Kettle. She wasn't just buying baby books…"

She peers up at me.

"She said you were all learning," she continues. Then, she exhales slowly. "I enrolled the next day in an ASL class at M.H.C.C."

I hang on to her every word. And without even thinking of it, my hand finds hers.

"I…." I say, trying to make sense of it.

"I don't know if I thought maybe it would keep you close to me somehow," she continues. "Or if I was holding out hope that I would need it one day. Because Vienna would be in my life. Because you would be too. But I did. And then I took another and another, and eventually I realized it mattered to me too."

I blink, a million thoughts running through my mind. "But…" I focus on the one I can't seem to shake. "In the park that day… you said you didn't realize—"

"That she looked like you."

My lips slam shut.

"You didn't let me finish." She smirks, placing her hand on my arm. "I was saying I couldn't believe she looked so much like you."

Emotion gets caught in my throat—surprise, joy, a little sadness. Pride.

I search her eyes. And she waits. Quiet. Steady. While I try to wrap my head around it all.

"You…" I start, still a little unsure. "Learned for her?"