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She knocked lightly on her mom’s door, then went inside. “Oh, you look nice.”
Her mom smiled at her. “Thanks, sweetie. You look nice as well.”
“Ready to go eat some breakfast?”
If they’d been in their own space, her mom would have been the one preparing the breakfast, and as they walked into the kitchen to see Charli at work, Misha could see that her mom itched to jump in.
“Can I help you?”
Charli smiled. “Sure. Layla requested pancakes, so if you don’t mind taking care of them, that would be great.”
Misha was glad that Charli had accepted her mom’s offer. It was going to be hard for her mom to not have anything to do but watch Ciara, at least for the first little while.
It wasn’t long before Janessa showed up, followed a short time later by Aria. An abundance of food was waiting on the smaller table in the breakfast nook, rather than in the large dining room.
“I texted Skylar,” Janessa announced as she filled her mug with coffee. “She’s working in the nursery this morning and would love to have Ciara there with her, if you’re comfortable leaving her.”
Misha had already accepted that she’d have to put Ciara in the church nursery if they went to the service that morning. She’d always gone to the nursery at their old church, and she’d done okay. Hopefully, it would be the same there.
“You can decide once we get there,” Charli said. “And you have a chance to see the nursery.”
Charli clearly understood the reluctance a mom might have to leave her child with strangers for the first time.
Once breakfast was over, they all pitched in to clean up, then Misha and her mom went upstairs to dress Ciara. It didn’t take long, which was good because she didn’t want to make any of them late for church.
“You can ride with me,” Janessa said. “Aria will ride with Charli, then Gareth will give her a ride home, I’m sure.”
Aira grinned as she picked up her purse. “Yep. You are correct.”
It didn’t take long to get everyone situated, and Misha ended up in the front seat of Janessa’s car while her mom sat in the back with Ciara in her car seat. Though she’d been mentally preparing herself for all the new situations she’d be facing with this move, Misha was still nervous about attending this church for the first time,
She could do this, and she knew that her mom could, too.
When they arrived at the church, Misha took Ciara from the car seat while her mom grabbed the diaper bag. Janessa led them into the building, then down a wide hallway to where the nursery was located.
“Hey, Janessa,” a young woman with dark brown hair and brown eyes said when they arrived in the doorway. She then turned her gaze to Misha and Ciara, and her smile grew. “This must be Ciara.”
“Yep,” Janessa said. “This is Misha, Ciara’s mom, and Denise, her grandma. This is my sister, Skylar.”
“Nice to meet you, Skylar,” Misha said.
“You too,” the young girl replied. “Did you want to come in with Ciara?”
Misha nodded and followed Skylar into the large space. There were other children there, as well as a couple of adults. She was glad to see that there appeared to be a good ratio of adults to children.
Skylar walked her through setting Ciara up in the nursery, assigning her a number that would flash on the wall of the sanctuary if Ciara needed her. When she handed Ciara over to Skylar, Misha braced herself for tears, but instead, Ciara seemed to be enamored with the new person holding her.
“I’ll see you after the service,” Misha said as she pressed a kiss to Ciara’s curls. “Thank you for keeping an eye on her, Skylar.”
“You’re welcome. We’re going to have fun, aren’t we, Ciara?”
Her mom and Janessa stood in the hallway just outside the door, and when Misha joined them, they headed through the foyer to the sanctuary. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as they passed people along the way.
“Do you want to sit with us?” Janessa asked as they entered the sanctuary. “You don’t have to, but you’re more than welcome to.”
Misha glanced at her mom then said, “Perhaps we’ll sit near the back in case I need to go out for Ciara.”
Janessa nodded. “That makes sense. We can sit there with you.”
