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Layla skipped up to him and gave him a hug, making Misha smile. That girl had so much energy, and it was clear that she liked Peyton. For a little kid moving to a new place, finding a friend like Layla was a good thing.
Dragging her gaze from the group she’d once been a part of, Misha tried to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach as she looked for her mom. Thankfully, she’d chosen a seat on the opposite side of the sanctuary from where the group stood.
“Doing okay?” her mom asked when she joined her, glancing in Jay’s direction.
She covered her mom’s hand with hers and gave it a squeeze. “I won’t lie and say I’m fine, but I will be.”
Her mom frowned. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
She knew why her mom worried about her, but there wasn’t much that would help but time. And a week wasn’t quite enough time to be over the heartache. Although, considering they hadn’t dated for very long, the separation shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did.
However, she’d been drawn to Jay almost from the first moment they’d met. So even before they’d started to date, she’d already developed feelings for him. She wasn’t just mourning the loss of their relationship, but also the future she’d dreamed of having with Jay.
As the service began, Misha resisted the urge to look around to see where Jay had ended up sitting. She did notice that Janessa was seated at the front with Gareth and Aria, which surprised Misha. For some reason, she’d assumed that Janessa would sit with Jay and Peyton.
However, Janessa had been so angry with Jay over what had happened, it was possible that the pair still hadn’t repaired their broken relationship. Misha hadn’t talked with Janessa about Jay since they’d broken up. It didn’t feel right to do so.
The service was hard to focus on, though Misha tried her best. She couldn’t deny that she was relieved when it was over.
She and her mom didn’t linger long in the sanctuary before going to get Ciara. There were other people picking up their kids, so they had to wait a few minutes.
“How was she?” Misha asked Skylar.
“Oh, she was great. A bundle of joy, as usual.”
Ciara clapped her hands, then reached out for Misha. As she took her from Skylar, she said, “I think she enjoys being around other little ones.”
Once they had the diaper bag, they said goodbye to Skylar and headed for the foyer.
“Misha!” Layla skipped up to them, reaching up to take Ciara’s hand. “Hi, Baby C.”
When Ciara leaned down toward Layla, Misha shifted the baby to hold her face out so the two could interact.
“How are you doing, Layla?” Misha asked. “Enjoying your summer break?”
“Yep! I have a new friend, and he’s my cousin, too.”
“Is that Peyton?”
Layla nodded. “He’s nice. Mom is babysitting him while Uncle Jay is at work, so we can play together every day.”
“That’s good. Have you done anything special?”
Misha wasn’t keen to chat for too long, but she also didn’t want to brush Layla aside. She’d gotten to know her while living at their house and very much enjoyed being around her. It gave Misha a glimpse of what Ciara might be like one day.
“Mom lets us color and paint.” Layla looked over her shoulder. “Hang on. I’ll be right back.”
She darted away from them, only to return with Peyton in tow. Ciara began kicking her legs when she saw them approaching, so Misha put her down, holding onto her hands. The little girl began to walk toward the two children, which prompted Layla to drop to her knees with a squeal.
“Hey, Baby C! Walk to me!”
Misha took a chance of letting go of Ciara’s hands, planning to scoop her up if she looked like she planned to start crawling instead. Layla clapped her hands, then held them out to Ciara.
Ciara wobbled a bit, then she took a tentative step forward, hesitated, then took another one. Misha grinned as she watched her little girl take her first steps toward Layla.
“Yay, Baby C!” Layla moved closer as Ciara plopped down on her butt. “She’s walking now!”
