Page 10 of Hold Me Until Morning

“Can I be on your dream team, my favorite Lolly?” Madison asked, her voice perking with excitement.

“You already are, sweet child. You already are.”

Affection pulsed through my spirit.

God, I’d missed her. I had missed the way she’d stood in the vacant place after my mother had been killed in a car accident when I was six.

I had missed her teasing.

Had missed her belief.

I cleared the sogginess from my throat, forced a bright smile, and patted Madison’s thigh. “All right, time to get your teeth brushed. We have a big day tomorrow, and Mommy has to be up early to get to work.”

Today had been my first day, which had been comprised mostly of introductions and a few meetings to familiarize myself with the staff and my surroundings.

I knew I was going to love it. I’d found the place where I belonged.

Maddie popped onto her feet, and she swung her bunny around in a circle. “Okay, me and my Princess Verona will go brush our teeth so clean they’re gonna be shining.”

She scrambled down the hall, leaving me sitting there smiling behind her.

“She’s so sweet,” Lolly murmured. “So much like you when you were little.”

“She’s my world.”

My reason. My purpose. My everything.

And I would never let anyone taint or threaten that again.

Resolved, I climbed to standing and headed down the hall on the right side of the house where there were two bedrooms and one bathroom.

Lolly had taken the largest one at the end of the hall, and Madison’s was directly across from the bathroom in the middle.

I eased in behind my daughter where she was standing on a step stool, eagerly brushing her tiny, gapped teeth, Princess Verona propped on the counter beside her.

“All done!” She beamed those gleaming teeth up at me. “What do you think? Do I have ’em shining?”

“You did a great job,” I whispered, wiping the bits of toothpaste she had smeared on her cheek with a hand towel.

She grabbed her bunny and shoved it my direction. “Princess Verona, too?”

A soft giggle pulled free as I swept her into my arms, tickled her, and said, “Princess Verona, too.”

I carried her into her room, the perfect weight of her in my arms, hers locked around my neck, the scent of her bubblegum toothpaste all around me. I set her on the bed.

Our beds were the only things we’d had time to bring in and set up before the storm had hit, so her walls were still a stark white and the floors were barren.

I tucked her under the covers.

“Story time!” She grinned as she clutched the top of the blanket to her chest with both hands.

I sat beside her and picked up her favorite book, Goodnight Moon, my voice softened as I moved through the story.

My daughter began to get drowsy, lulled by the familiar, comforting words.

When I was finished, I leaned down and kissed her nose. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

She gave a groggy giggle and grabbed me by the cheeks, keeping our noses touching. “Night, Mommy. You better get some big rest so you’re not tired at your new job.”

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