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Holt
“Are you ready?”
We sat outside of the Barnes’s huge two-story house. Francine Barnes was a vivacious, outgoing woman who loved to entertain, and certainly had the house for it. I was pretty sure what she longed for was to fill it with children or grandchildren, but they’d only had one son who’d married and moved to California. So, I could see why they’d invited Charly and Lily to move in with them as well as Misty.
Maddy looked back at me with troubled eyes. “This feels so weird, you know? Meeting family you never even knew you had? Coming to terms with Charly being gone forever after learning she’s been so close in all this time? And how do I take a child who’s grown up with all of this away from it? What do I have to offer Lily?”
I squeezed her hand. “I don’t know all the answers, sweetheart, but I do know what you have to give her is yourself and the gift of knowing her mother. From what we know, Charly wanted you in Lily’s life. Maybe you’ll find some answers inside. Nothing has to be decided today. We’re just here to meet your niece. And I’m here for you, for whatever you need.”
I knew this was incredibly hard for her. I’d held her most of yesterday while she cried or watched her pace as she came to terms with everything that went down at the courthouse and subsequent news. I’d deliberately not taken any pain pills this morning so I could drive her here and support her. It hurt, but she needed me so I would bear it for her.
“Thank you, Holt,” she whispered, her chin wobbling just a little. She drew in a deep breath and seemed to regain control. “Have I told you how much I love you or thanked you for being here with me today?”
“Nowhere else I’d rather be than by your side, baby, no matter where it leads us.”
To my surprise, her eyes grew troubled, but she offered me a tremulous smile. “Okay. Let’s go.”
We got out of my truck, and I moved so she was on my right side so I could hold her hand as we walked up the long sidewalk to the front door. The door swung open as we reached the first step. Francine stood there with a welcoming smile.
“Holten, how lovely to see you again, dear. And you must be Madelyn.” She wrapped Maddy in a warm hug. Maddy raised confused eyes to me. My poor girl; she still wasn’t used to the idea that people could be so kind and welcoming to strangers, especially those who knew anything about her past. “I’m so sad we’re meeting under these conditions. Please know you have our sincerest condolences. I know this has come as a great shock to you. Charly spoke about her sister often, so I’m afraid we have an unfair advantage. Despite the circumstances, Lily has been excited to meet you.”
“Thank you for having us over,” Maddy said. “This is a little awkward, to be honest.”
“I understand, dear. But be assured, we’re here to support you.”
“Yes, we are,” Victor Barnes stepped into the foyer where we were now standing. He nodded at me. “Maddy, I can’t say how sorry I am about your sister. I’d no idea when we hired you about your relationship with Charly. At first I was a little disturbed when Misty finally came clean about all the details. But now I really see it as someone who was desperately trying to look out for someone she loved in the only way she knew how.”
“Sometimes I’m not sure I even know who Charly was,” Maddy said sadly. “But despite everything that happened between us, she was my sister, and I never want her daughter to not know about her mother and how much Charly loved her. That’s the most important thing to me.”
I squeezed her hand. “She will. You’ll make sure of it.”
Footsteps sounded in the hallway and all of us turned as Misty appeared with a young girl clinging to her hand. Her hair was darker than Maddy’s and hung in a braid down her back, but the wisps over her forehead suggested she had some of the same curls as her aunt. Eyes that were the same shape and color as Maddy’s grew big as she took in all of the adults standing in her home. She was dressed cutely in a pair of dark jeans and pink sweater and held a stuffed horse under one arm. Misty whispered in her ear and stepped back. Lily remained motionless.
“Oh, my,” breathed Maddy. She let go of my hand and took the few steps to reach them. She knelt on the floor a couple steps away. “Hi Lily,” she greeted the little girl softly. “I’m Madelyn, but most of my friends call me Maddy.”
“You’re my Auntie Maddy,” she said shyly.
Maddy nodded slowly. “I am.”
Lily took a step toward her. “Mommy told me that you were very brave and that you’d done something very, very hard and that you had to go away to rest for awhile, but someday you’d be back to meet me.”
I saw Maddy swallow hard. Charly had managed to tell her daughter a truth without the details, so that Maddy could remain untouched from the bad things that had happened to her, at least in her niece’s eyes.
“Well, your mommy was right. But I’m fine now, and I’m back for good. I saw her for the first time in a long time a couple days ago, and she couldn’t wait for us to meet. She loved you very, very much.” Her voice cracked ever so slightly, but she somehow managed to smile at her niece.
Lily’s eyes filled with tears. “Granny Fran says Mommy isn’t coming back because she died and went to heaven.”
Fran covered a sob with her hand and curled into her husband’s embrace. I found myself having to clear my throat and even Vic was blinking more than normal.
Somehow, Maddy managed to keep her composure. “That’s true, sweetie. But I promise I’ll be here for you.”
Lily’s chin trembled. Maddy opened her arms and Lily went flying into them. “Oh, sweet girl,” Maddy crooned softly as she leaned her head against Lily’s. She rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head over and over until Lily grew calmer and lifted her head. Maddy cradled Lily’s head in her hands. “I know everything feels kind of crazy right now, but I promise we’re going to figure everything out. You don’t need to worry about anything, okay?”
Lily looked back at her and nodded.
“What do you say we get to know each other a little better, hmm? Why, I don’t even know any of your favorites, and I need to know those for my next all-girl party that you’ll come to, right? I mean, I’d really hate to serve chocolate ice cream only to find out you’d rather have lima beans or something.” Lily giggled and all the adults seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Wait,” Maddy continued, “you don’t have a boyfriend, yet, do you? Cause no boys allowed during girl time.”
Lily turned up her nose. “Boys are yucky. Do you want to see my room?” she asked shyly.
