Page 78 of Finding Wonderland

“I’m surprised he went down so quickly.”

“He literally walked over to me, said sissy nap, and was asleep before I could bring him upstairs.” She sat in the rocking chair beside Isla’s. Reaching out, she put her hand on Ellie’s back and rubbed it. “I love them.”

“They love you too, Mace.”

Isla, Mason, and Ellie stayed that way for a few moments before Isla finally put her down. She and Mason kissed her before turning on the white noise machine and exiting the room. Out in the hallway, Mason took Isla’s hand.

“Mom?”

“Yeah, sweetie?”

“Thank you.”

Isla’s brow furrowed in confusion. “For what?”

“For everything.” Wrapping her arms around Isla’s waist, Mason rested her head on her chest. “You and Mama are the best moms I could ever have.”

“And you’re the best kid.” Isla kissed the top of her head. “I love you, sweetie.”

“I wish Blake was here.”

Isla’s breath caught in her throat. It wasn’t often that Mason mentioned her older sister. They celebrated Blake’s birthday every year but that was really it. For her to bring it up now, on her own birthday, hurt Isla’s heart.

“I know, Mason.” She tightened her embrace around Mason. “I do, too.”

“One day.”

“One day,” Isla repeated.

As Isla always did, she let Mason decide when the hug should end. Some days Mason didn’t want hugs at all and others she could hold onto her or Vera for hours. They had kept the tradition going with Ellie and Brayden, letting them cuddle as much as they wanted without putting them to bed or giving them something to play with. Their kids came first, always.

“I love you, Mason.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

It was a few more moments before Mason loosened her arms around Isla’s waist. Isla rubbed her back a couple of times, making sure she was okay. Mason nodded, taking Isla’s hand as they walked down the stairs into the kitchen. Everyone had gathered around the kitchen Island and Vera was holding a cake with the words happy 16th birthday, Mason on it.

Everyone started singing Happy Birthday as Mason beamed with happiness. As the song ended, she blew out her candles as everyone clapped and made their way over to the dining room table. But Mason made a beeline for Vera, hugging her as the two slowly swayed back and forth. It was a view Isla had seen countless times but knew she would never get tired of.

Vera whispered something in Mason’s ear which made her laugh. As Mason joined her friends in the dining room, Isla walked over to Vera. They didn’t need words to communicate; their looks said it all. They were happy and insanely in love with each other and their beautiful family. And that was all Isla could hope for.

Chapter 28

Vera

2010

In the fifteen years Vera had known Isla, not a single day had gone by that she didn’t think of Blake. Although she had never personally met Isla’s oldest daughter, Vera still felt as if she knew her. She saw Blake’s eyes in Brayden; saw her smile in Ellie. She felt the pain of her absence from Isla and Mason. Everywhere Vera looked, she was reminded of the daughter she never met.

Especially with Blake being on a popular TV show now. Isla and Vera had watched every episode of every show she had ever been on. They watched her interviews and kept cutouts of articles she was featured in online or in magazines. Pictures of Blake also were in every room of their home. Although she wasn’t physically there, Vera liked that her presence was always around.

But birthdays were still hard for Isla. With Blake’s twenty-first birthday approaching, Isla had been mourning the years she hadn’t spent with her daughter. They had tried numerous times to reach out to her, but each attempt was met with the loudest silence. However, that didn’t stop Isla and Vera from continuing their tradition of writing letters to Blake.

Vera was unsure how often Isla wrote her own letters, but Vera made sure to write one at least once a month. She included photos of the kids and of her and Isla. In the letters, she would tell Blake what had happened in their lives since the last letter. But most importantly, she always told Blake how much her mother loved her and how Vera desperately wanted to meet her someday.

Writing the letters was never easy. Vera preferred to write them alone in her home office after everyone else was in bed. It gave her the perfect time to collect her thoughts and share her heart with Blake. Picking the pen from the desk, Vera poised it over the yellow legal pad of paper and began writing.

Blake,

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