Page 68 of Unexpected Gifts

“I’ll never see her again. How can that be?” Sophie stared down at her lap, tears creeping down her cheeks and soaking into the collar of her jacket.

Abby pulled her onto her lap and wrapped her arms around her. “You will see her, baby. You will. She’s all around us, watching over us. I feel her presence all the time.”

“You do?”

“Yes, for sure. She’s trying to guide me the best she can, but I’m kind of a mess. I wish I wasn’t.”

“You’re not a mess.” Sophie snuggled closer, burying her cheek into Abby’s neck. “You’ve never done this before. Remember Mom said that all she expected from us was to do our best?”

“Iamdoing my best, but I’ll do better. I promise.” She lifted Sophie’s chin with the tips of her fingers and looked into her eyes. “But know this—even when I make mistakes, it’s not because I don’t want you or your brother or to be here in Vermont with you. I chose to be here. I chose you and Jack. You’re my family now. My whole world. I’ll never be your mom because no one could ever replace her, but I promise to give you my entire heart and love you as if I was the one who brought you into this world.”

“I promise to love you too.”

“That makes me very happy.” Abby’s voice broke, and tears gathered in her eyes. “Thank you.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, their arms wrapped around each other until Abby suggested they go inside and have breakfast. “And then we’ll call the bakery and order a cake for tomorrow.”

“A pink one?”

“Yes, as pink as they come. And tonight we’ll celebrate in town. Then, tomorrow, we’ll celebrate some more. How does that sound?”

“It sounds good.” Sophie scrambled off her lap, and they both got to their feet. Sophie put her hand in Abby’s, and they headed toward the door.

“I think you should marry Luke.”

Abby almost stumbled. “You do? You wouldn’t mind if we were all a family together?”

“It would be nice for Jack to have a dad. And for Lily to have a mom.”

“And what about you, sweet Sophie? What would be nice about it for you?”

“I’d like to have a dad. There’s a daddy and daughter dance next month at school, and I don’t have anyone to take me.”

“Luke would take you. He’d love to.”

“Do you really think so?” Sophie asked.

“I know so.”

“And Grace and Walter would be our grandparents, and we’d have a whole bunch of uncles.”

“That sounds pretty good to me too.”

“A big, loud family,” Sophie said. “Where we belong to them, and they belong to us.”

“Could there be anything better?”

“I don’t think so,” Sophie said, looking up at her with big blue eyes still damp from tears.

Abby shut the barn door behind them and they walked hand in hand across the yard and into the warm house.

Not house. Home.

19

ABBY

Abby and Sophie spent the rest of the morning planning two birthday parties. One would be for Sophie and her friends from school, and the other would be with the Hayes family, including Luke’s brothers. Sophie had asked specifically if the whole family could be there to celebrate her turning ten. Abby thought she might crumble into little bits of joy at the idea that the Hayes family could be hers and Sophie’s and Jack’s. Sophie wasn’t the only one who wanted to be part of a big family.

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