Hearing Sophia’s name, Kristy’s face turns murderous.
“I know you’re angry with your mother. I’m not happy either. I had two beautiful, amazing girls, and I missed…everything in their lives. But I also understand why she did what she did. I don’t like it, but I get it. What could she do when she wasn’t safe? When you weren’t even safe in your own house?” He releases a harsh breath of anger, but I don’t think it’s directed at Sophia. “But today I want to tell you, if you ever need a place of your own for a while or just a change in scenery, this is your room. You, Oscar, Charlie, and my soon-to-be grandchild are welcome anytime. This is your home, Kristy.”
My heart clenches as the onslaught of emotions hits me hard. Tears roll from Kristy’s eyes, and she hugs her father—our father—whispering something in his ear.
A pang of jealously hits me in my chest.
There’s nothing for me here. No elephant stories, no purple walls. My hand slips into my pocket, where my cell phone is resting. I know one text to Zander and I’ll be back in the hotel room in no time.
“Rose, my sweet girl, would you like to see your room?” Ash asks before I can take my phone out.
Kristy’s eyes shine with tears as her head rests on Ash’s chest. They look so similar. Kristy not only inherited Ash’s sharp features but also his confidence. They already share a bond, a memory, whereas I’m as alien as before. As much as that thought hurts me, in some hidden corner of my heart, I don’t want to be an alien. I also want to share something with him. So, I nod.
“But first, I want to show you something else.” He leads us to a small pantry-sized room and flips on the switch.
It’s a small nursery.
“This is everything your mother and I got when we were expecting you, my baby girl.”
There’s a small crib in blush pink, and a blanket in the same color.
“Your mother was obsessed with pink things during her pregnancy with you.”
“I’m still obsessed with pink,” I whisper, and his wide gaze shoots at me. If he’s surprised I even responded, that makes two of us.
I’m not sure how to feel. I hate seeing my unused crib in a storage room. I love that my parents got me a pink crib and blanket.
“Then maybe you’ll like your room.” He leads us away from the small space, but I want to stay for a little longer. Or maybe much longer. My unlived childhood resides in this small storage space.
I reluctantly follow Kristy and Ash to the next room.
Three walls are painted sweet pink, while the fourth is covered with wallpaper of pink and white roses. My gaze lands on a picture frame resting on the nightstand. On a blue craft paper are three handprints, and on top of them, in a child’s broken writing, are words that shake my core.
MY DEAR SIS,
COME SOON. WE ARE WAITING.
Kristy sobs as my own tears threaten to fall.
They were waiting for me.
Kristy hugs me, and soon, Ash joins us, hiding us in his huge arms. An unexpected sense of safety falls over me when he kisses my hair and whispers, “My girls, you are safe.”
After several moments of golden silence, we all pull back.
“There’s one more thing I want you to have.” Ash opens the drawer of a computer desk, and that’s when I notice the latest high-power programming laptop.
“You got me a computer?”
“I want my daughters to have everything.”
Before I can soak in his affection, he places a journal in my hands.
“Take this. Your—” He stops and clears his throat. “Sophia wants you to have it. This was her journal during her pregnancy with you. In it, she talked to you.”
He grabs my hands, causing me to grip the journal so tight that the leather spine bites my fingers. But I want nothing more than his intense love.
“I know you didn’t have a proper childhood, but it wasn’t because we loved you any less, sweetheart. We were robbed of the sweet memories of your every milestone. Your first roll, your first word, your first step… Everything was stolen from us. But that doesn’t change the fact that we didn’t save you, my Rose girl. I’ll never forgive myself for it.” He holds my face between his hands, looking at me, searching for his lost baby girl.