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He nodded, apparently satisfied that he wouldn’t be separated from his sister.
I dropped him off at Brenda’s and we hugged and promised to see each other the following weekend for a nice afternoon in Central Park when Sophie and Kate were back in the city with me.
“Give this to Sophie,” he said and went to his suitcase, where he had something tucked away. “It’s a Lego set. She said she wanted one, so I got her one with my allowance.”
It was a Lego Pet Adoption Cafe set.
“Sophie will love it,” I said and gave Liam one last hug.
“Thanks, Brenda,” I said. “See you soon.”
She smiled and held the door while I walked down to the waiting limo. Then, I drove off, exhaling in satisfaction.
Liam loved his little sister.
He wanted to live with her and go to school with her.
That made my heart swell…
CHAPTERNINE
On Sunday, I woke to the sound of Sophie talking to herself in the room beside me, the baby monitor on the bedside table letting me know when she was awake. She was talking to her unicorns, and they were having a very animated conversation about flying in an airplane back to New York. I was sure she would be excited and anxious at the same time.
Usually, Sophie liked new things and had little anxiety, but something as big as her first real move, leaving behind everything she’d come to know, had to be stressful in some way. I was determined to ensure it was as easy for her as possible. If that meant we got some new unicorn dolls for her to take along on the trip, so be it.
I went to the bathroom for a quick freshen up, put on my robe and slippers, and went to her room. The star lights were still on, and the room was semi-dark. On the bed, Sophie sat with her unicorn and other toys.
“Good morning, Sophia. Did you have a good sleep? We’re going to see Daddy today!”
“Yay!” She spoke to her unicorn. “Daddy’s coming home today. He’s been gone for a very long time.”
When she said it, she sounded so properly British. I felt amused that she had picked up the accent so perfectly. It would take a while for her to take on the accent of a Brooklyn resident. One thing about children was that they learned languages so easily.
I had no doubt that soon, she’d be a proper American. She’d been living in the countryside, on an idyllic plot of land in view of the water, but soon would be living in Brooklyn Heights, an urban paradise. I knew she’d adjust.
After we were all dressed and ready, and had our breakfast, we hopped in the car and drove to Southampton Airport, which was located north and east of the city. I watched Sophie in the rear-view mirror of the Range Rover, and she looked really happy, a toy in each hand, singing something from Frozen, her latest favorite movie, which we’d watched ad nauseam since its debut several years earlier. Nothing had yet replaced it in her heart. I hoped something would come along soon and had high hopes for The Little Mermaid overtaking it, just for my peace of mind and having a new tune in my brain from morning until night.
We made it to the airport terminal a few minutes early and parked near the airfield so we could watch Drake’s plane land. He’d flown from New York’s JFK on a Boeing 777 to Amsterdam and then after a short layover, he’d flown to Southampton Airport on an Embraer 175, with its characteristic turbo prop propellers. I had a flight radar app open on my phone and was able to track Drake’s plane as it approached the airport landing strip, Then, while Sophie and I stood beside the Range Rover on the side of the road, we watched his plane land. After it touched down and was taxiing to the airport terminal, we got back into the Range Rover and drove to the terminal building parking lot. Weparked and went into the terminal to wait for Drake’s arrival.
We timed it just right. A few people got off before Drake, but soon, I saw him, his carryon in hand.
“There’s Daddy!” I knelt beside Sophie and pointed towards the arrivals section.
“Daddy!” She squealed and ran towards the gates.
He came through the gate and grabbed her in a big bear hug, lifting her up and kissing her.
“There’s my girl,” he said, a huge smile on his face. “I missed you, Sophie.” He turned and opened one arm to me. “I missed both my girls.”
We kissed warmly, and Sophie lay her head on Drake’s shoulder.
Together, we walked out of the terminal and to the Range Rover in the parking lot. Drake told us all about his trip on the plane, and Sophie told him how we watched his plane land on the side of the road.
“You watched the plane land?”
She nodded, eager to tell him how we waved but didn’t think he saw us.
Then, she turned more serious. “When we go back to New York are we going to fly?”
