Page 26 of Unexpected Gifts

“Night, Sophie,” Jack said as he slipped out of her bed and onto the floor. Rufus lifted his head, apparently assessed the situation adequately, and followed the little boy out of the room.

Sophie had slid all the way under the covers and lay on her back, her blond hair splayed out on the pillow. “I’m sorry I made you sleep on the couch last night.”

“Oh, sweetie, that’s okay. I understand why.”

“You do?” Sophie’s big blue eyes widened.

“Yes. All these changes and missing your mom—it’s a lot to handle.”

Sophie let out a sigh, possibly one of relief. “It’s weird to have you here.”

“I know. It’s weird for me, too.”

“Do you miss California?” Sophie asked.

“Not the place so much as my friends.”

“Mom says that home is where your friends and family are.”

“She’s right,” Abby said.

“You could make friends here.”

Abby thought of Luke, which made her stomach flutter. This was not good. Not good at all. Why had she kissed him? She didn’t need any further complications in this new life of hers. God, she was an idiot. These children needed all her focus.

But Luke. He was special. And there was something between them. Something real or something conjured out of fear and loneliness?

“I can and will. Plus, I have you and Jack. You’re my family.”

“I’m sorry you had to come here and give up your life,” Sophie said woodenly. “Mom should have had a different plan.”

This girl amazed Abby. She was insightful and sensitive, especially for someone so young. “I don’t want you to ever worry about me, okay? I’m an adult, and I’m here to take care of you and Jack, and I’m honored to do so.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Grace told me there must have been a good reason that your mom chose me to raise the two people she loved most in the world. She wanted us to be together.”

“Will this awful feeling in my stomach ever go away?” Sophie asked.

“Not all the way, no. After I lost my mom, it took a long time for me to feel normal again. But someday, you will. It doesn’tmean you miss her any less, it just means you’ll have found a new way to be in the world. Even without her.”

Tears gathered in Sophie’s lashes, then spilled down her cheeks. “I can’t think of how I could possibly find a new way. Without her. I miss her so much.”

Abby pulled a tissue from the box on the bedside table and handed it to Sophie. “I know. I really do know.”

“Did you ever forget what your mom looked like?” Sophie asked.

Was she afraid of that? Of course, she was. It was an entirely normal reaction to losing one’s mother. “No. Never. And you won’t either. Plus, you have all these photographs of all of you together. You can look at them any time you want. Just because she’s in heaven now doesn’t mean that you’ll lose all your memories. You’ll have those for the rest of your life, and you can pull them out whenever you choose. Someday, when your grief’s not so fresh, they’ll make you smile. And something I know for sure? When you smile, your mother’s right there with you. She lives in your heart. Nothing can ever change that.”

Sophie nodded, dabbing at her damp cheeks. “I’m tired now.”

“Of course you are. All that turkey and gravy.”

Sophie smiled. “And mashed potatoes.”

“Sweet dreams, Sophie.” Abby brushed the child’s cheek with the backs of her fingers. “I’m here if you need anything.”

“Good night, Abby.”

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