Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
“Like I told Ly, we’ll bring her out this summer for a night, and if we can get away, you and I can come back out again just the two of us.”
“I’d like that,” she agrees, letting out a long breath. “When we get back, I have to talk to Gabe’s parents.”
“About what?” I ask, hearing the tension in her voice.
“When they came over to the house for Ly’s birthday, they asked me if they could take her away with them for a couple weeks this summer to visit Gabe’s grandmother in the lower forty-eight. I guess she isn’t doing so well, and they want Ly to have a chance to meet her before it’s too late.”
“Are you letting them take her?” I question, my gut tightening at the idea of Lyra being forced on a trip with two people she doesn’t really know. Yes, I know they’re her grandparents, but my mom and dad have spent more time with Lyra since she was born than they have.
“No, that’s what I need to talk to them about, and I know they’re not going to be happy with me when I give them my answer.”
“They’ll understand,” I say quietly, running my hand down her back.
“They won’t, but I don’t like the idea of being away from Ly for two weeks. And I really don’t like the idea of her being alone with them for two weeks in a state so far away it’d take me at least a day to get to her if something happened.”
“Do you think they’d hurt her?”
“No, not at all. But they aren’t like normal parents.” She tips her head back to look at me. “They even make my mom look like Mother of the Year, and you know my mom is totally not that.” She frowns. “They don’t even hug.”
“Pardon?”
“They don’t hug or touch. They don’t show any kind of affection at all. And Ly is used to that; she’s use to hugs and kisses and being tucked in at night and cuddled in the morning when she first wakes up.” I know that, since I’ve given her all that since the day she was born. “A part of me—the part of me that loved their son and feels guilty that Ly will never really know him—wants to let them take her. But if I did, I know Ly would be freaked out by them after the first night.”
“You have nothing to feel guilty about,” I state forcefully, and her eyes meet mine once more. “You were married to their son, not to them. They’ve had a chance to play a role in Lyra’s life, and they chose what role they wanted to play. You have given them every opportunity to be around, but they haven’t really taken it.”
“I know that, but—”
“No.” I shake my head, cupping her cheek. “No buts. I haven’t been around them much, but at Lyra’s party, they didn’t spend much time with her. They didn’t try to talk to the other people in their granddaughter’s life to see who was around her and what role everyone played. They came and stood in the corner and kept to themselves. That’s them, and I get that, but how they are is not on you, and even if Gabe were alive, that would still be the truth. Them even asking you to take Lyra away from you and the rest of her family for two weeks to spend time with them and other people she doesn’t know just shows they don’t care how that could affect her. If she were older, I might be a little more understanding, but she’s only four years old. She wouldn’t get it, and she’d likely be traumatized by the situation. Not fucking happening.” When I finish speaking, I see that her lips are parted in awe.
“You love her.”
“You know I do.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I mean, you really love her. You love her like I love her.”
Understanding fills my chest, and I slide my fingers across her cheek while dipping my face closer to hers. “Baby, the moment I held her in my arms, I fell in love with her. I knew then that I’d do everything within my power to protect her. She’s not my blood, but she’s a part of my heart all the same. I love her down to my marrow, like she’s my own.”
“She loves you,” she states firmly.
“I know she does, and I will forever cherish that. It’s a gift I don’t take for granted.”
“You’re going to make me cry again,” she whispers, as tears fill her eyes. I know I shouldn’t laugh, but I can’t help it. “It’s not funny.” She smacks my chest when my body starts to shake. “You’re turning me into a giant baby.”
“You’re not a baby. You’ve just got a lot going on.”