“Still counts,” Stephen says firmly.
Judy, clearly impatient with our chatter, squirms, and Stephen sets her down. She grabs his hand, along with one of Joel’s, pulling them both over to the table insistently. “Come see what we drew today!”
Chuckling, they let her lead them. She shows them several drawings, and they patiently ask her to explain what the shapes and symbols signify. She gets to one with several differently colored circles, and when they ask her what the picture is, she says it’s “our family.”
Then, she looks at Stephen and asks him “Is Kristen my mommy?”
My stomach drops. I figured eventually, Judy would have questions about our relationship, and about Elise, too, but I hadn’t been brave enough to broach the topic with Stephen and ask how he wanted to handle it yet.
I glance at Joel, who looks as panicked as I do, then at Stephen. To my surprise, he doesn’t look ruffled in the slightest. He crouches down to Judy’s level. “Sort of, honey, yeah. Kristen loved you and me so much she chose to be your mommy. And Joel chose to be your daddy.”
She giggles. “But I already have a daddy.”
He grins and tickles her a little. “I know, you lucky duck, you’ve got two of them. See, everyone’s family is different. Some people have a mommy and a daddy, some people have two mommies, some people have two daddies, and you, my special girl, have two of each.”
He scoops her up. “You have me and Daddy Joel, and you have Mommy Kristen and your other Mommy is watching over you from heaven,” he explains.
I feel my throat tightening and my eyes burning, and I blink fast, determined not to cry.
I fail miserably when Judy asks if we can visit her mommy in heaven, and I can see even Joel wiping at his eyes a bit.
“No, sweetie, we can’t, I’m sorry. I wish we could. But someday, when you’re a very, very, very old lady, you’ll get to meet her.”
“Like when I’m as old as you?”
All three of us bust up laughing. You can always count on a three-year-old to cut a tense moment. “No, sweetie, when you’re much, much older. Like, twice as old asGrandma,” he says.
“Wow. That’s a long time.”
“Yep. So until then, you’re gonna stay right here with us,” he tells her.
She nods. “Can I have a cookie?”
We laugh again. “After dinner,” he promises, “Now come on.”
He looks from his daughter, to Joel, then me with a massive smile on his face. “Let’s go home.”
THE END
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Keep reading for a special inside look intoJust This Once,the first book in this series, and read Lacey’s story!
SpecialInside Look into Just This Once!
Chapter One
Lacey
My best friend greets me at the baggage claim of the airport with all of the deranged excitement of a cocaine-fueled squirrel. She pounces on me, nearly toppling me over, and her squeal of excitement leaves my ears ringing.
We haven’t seen each other in close to a year now, and I know Max (short for Maxine) has missed me. And frankly, it’s my own fault I haven’t come to visit. “Max, you’re crushing me,” I wheeze, wriggling in her embrace and trying to blow a handful of her brown curls away from my face.
“Suck it up,” she replies cheerfully, “The price of staying at Chez Maxine is the destruction of your ribcage.”
I manage a weak chuckle despite her vice-grip, and briefly wonder about punctured lungs. But she finally releases me and looks me up and down fully. “Holy shit, girl, you look amazing!”
“Yeah, well, stress diet,” I say with a small smile.