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“I’m your birth mother.”
Both Rose and Atlas snap their head to Liesel.
“Whose? Mine or Atlas’?” Rose asks, staring at Liesel in awe.
“Both. See, once upon a time, I was a young woman, and I got pregnant with three special children.”
“Three?” Atlas blinks.
“Yes, three. I was young and scared, but I loved my three babies more than anything in the world. Those babies were you, Rose.” She smiles at Rose. “And you, Atlas.” She turns her smile to Atlas. “And another baby named Declan.”
Neither of the kids ask questions anymore. They are entranced with Liesel’s story.
“The day came that you three were finally ready to leave my belly. I got sick and fell asleep when you were born. Someone took you three away before I got a chance to see you or hold you. You were split up and given to different people to live with.
“Rose, you were given to your mother, Phoenix, and your father, Langston. Atlas—eventually, Phoenix and Langston found you. They didn’t know that you and Rose were biological brother and sister at the time, but they knew you belonged to this family all the same.”
He smiles up at her.
“Now, we are looking for your brother, Declan, to complete the family.”
“We really have another brother?” Atlas asks.
Liesel nods.
She reaches forward and takes both of their hands. “What you need to know, though, is that even though I wasn’t around, I still loved you and tried my best to protect you all your lives. Langston, your father, is your father in every way that matters. Phoenix—” She takes a deep breath.
“Phoenix is still your mother. She loves you desperately, and she’s helping us find your brother. We all love you. Your mom, dad, me, and all your aunts, uncles, and cousins inside. We all love you.”
I’m not sure about telling them that Phoenix is still their mother and loves them, but everything else is spot on.
“Do you have any questions for your father or me?”
“Can we call you Mom?” Rose asks.
Liesel smiles. “You can call me whatever you want.”
“What do we call Mom, though?” Atlas asks, confused.
“You can call your other mom, Mom, too. You can have two moms.”
“I like that idea,” Atlas says.
“Are you two dating?” Rose asks, looking from Liesel to me.
“That’s a complicated question, but yes, we are,” Liesel replies.
“What about our other mom? Do you not love her anymore, Dad? Where is she?” Rose asks.
“She’s looking for Declan, but I have a feeling she’ll be back soon,” Liesel says, stepping in before I can answer, forcing me to follow her lead.
“I love both of your moms very much in very different ways. We still have a lot to figure out as a family, but we are all a family. All of us in our own complicated way, okay?” I say.
All three pairs of lips smile and nod at me while I get a queasy feeling in my stomach. I tru
st Liesel with my life; I just hope she knows what she’s doing.
20
