A clatter drew their attention. Evvie came out of the bathroom lugging, a plastic step stool. “Dis mine.”
“Okay, sweetie.” Hailey took it from her. “I got it.”
“See Mommy.” On a mission, the littlest one ran out of the room.
“Mommy?” Paisley dropped a stuffed moose and ran to catch up with her sister. “Where?”
“Oh, boy.” She and Cole hurried to join them, watching as they disappeared into the last room on the left.
When they hit the threshold, they came to a hard stop. It was Lindsay’s bedroom. She knew immediately because her scent hung in the air, the same perfume she’d worn in high school. The pillows still held the impression of their heads, and the bed was unmade.
The girls’ smiles faded. She wondered if they, too, felt the vast emptiness of the space without their parents’ spirits filling it. Paisley stayed with them, as Evvie dashed to the closet and peered inside.
Hailey’s stomach rolled.Oh, God.She’s looking for her parents.
A moment later, the three-year-old flung open the bathroom door. She stood there, staring.
Hailey held her breath, the devastation so heavy it threatened to sink her. She wanted to go to the little girl, hug her and promise everything would be all right, but she remembered what the therapist said and, instead, gave her some space.
Slowly, Evvie turned to them, eyes filled with a silent plea.
Hailey’s stomach wrenched as she watched the little girl grapple with a dawning understanding. Cole was on the move. Before he even reached her, the little girl lifted her arms. When he picked her up, she cocked her head and said, “Where Mommy and Daddy?”
And here it is. Step one in grasping that her parents had died.
“They’re gone, sweetheart.” He blinked several times and pressed his lips together. After a moment, he sucked in a breath. “Mommy and Daddy died, and they’re not coming back. But they love you more than anything. And they asked Hailey and me to take care of you.”
“Want Mommy.” The tremble in Evvie’s voice filled Hailey’s soul like a scream.
“I know.” Cole didn’t waver. Not a bit. “And trust me, your mommy and daddy didn’t want to leave you. They would only ever want to be with you, but they had a car accident, and they’re not coming back.”
Evvie wrapped her arms around Cole’s neck. “I want my mommy. I want Daddy.”
“I know you do.” Cole gently swayed with the little girl in his arms. “I know.”
Silent tears turned to sobs, and she buried her face against his collarbone. “Mommy.”
“I know, baby. I know.”
When Paisley hugged his thigh, Cole lowered himself to the floor. Hailey joined, and the four of them clutched each other as Evvie unleashed her fear, confusion, and sorrow in heart-wrenching tears.
Hailey gently caressed the little girl’s back. “It’s okay, sweetie. It’s going to be okay.” Her words meant nothing, but she just felt so helpless.
“Your mommy loves you so much,” Cole said. “You’re—”
Lindsay’s letter popped into her mind. “The sun, the moon, the stars…the entire galaxy. You are your mommy’s universe.”
Paisley patted her sister’s arm, murmuring something only the sisters could hear. Evvie reached out, and the two girls held hands. The tears stopped falling, and her little body shuddered.
And then, it was just peaceful.
The powerful bond between the four of them charged through her. She’d always longed for a home—the kind where you could walk into your childhood bedroom and know it hadn’t changed a bit even though you were an adult now, where the neighbors across the street waved, and the mail carrier made a crack about your online shopping problem.
But in this moment, she understood something.
That elusive feeling of home? It wasn’t a house. It was the people.
Yes, she understood the four of them were temporary. They’d find a family for the girls, Cole would return to Boston, and she’d be back in her studio apartment.