Page 554 of The Winslow Brothers

“And now what do you think?”

She considers my question for a long minute, her brow furrowing as she comes to a conclusion. “I think fashion, for a lot of people, is a healthy expression of their personality.”

“I think that’s a brilliant insight, Lex. One I would definitely agree with.”

“Is that what fashion is for you?” she asks, and I walk over to where she stands, her fingers busy exploring my necklaces and bracelets.

When I spot one particular necklace, a colorful Chanel choker that my sister Isabella used to wear every day until she gave it to me a few years ago for my birthday, something inside me makes me pick it up. And the urge to see it on her is too real to deny.

“Fashion is a few things for me,” I tell Lexi as I lift the choker over her head and place it gently around her neck. “It’s important for my job, so I can showcase myself as a professional, successful real estate agent. It allows me to express my personality, like you said.” With my fingers, I secure the clasp. “And it makes me feel confident, too.”

“Clothes can make you feel confident?” she asks, and I gently turn her around by the shoulders so she can see herself in the mirror.

“Clothes, fashion, accessories like this Chanel right here—” I wink “—can definitely make you feel confident. I’ve found thatif I’m wearing something that makes me feel good, it can ensure I’m going to have a fantastic day.”

Lexi reaches up to run her fingers across the colorful metal letters C-H-A-N-E-L, and I meet her reflection in the mirror with a smile.

“I think this necklace looks fantastic on you. Do you like it?”

“It’s really pretty, Maria.” She nods, and the shy smile that covers her face makes my heart expand inside my chest.

I quietly observe the way Lexi’s eyes stay glued to the necklace. It’s as if she’s entranced by the way she looks in the mirror now. She doesn’t just like it; shelovesit, and the confirmation of that fact is written all over her pretty face.

“You know what? I think you should keep it.”

Lex’s eyes jerk to mine. “But it’s yours…”

“Itwasmine,” I correct her. “But now, it belongs with you.”

Lexi glances at her reflection in the mirror again, and the smile on her face makes nostalgia flutter inside my belly. Every day, she’s growing closer to becoming a teenage girl, and seeing the changes within her remind me so much of how I got to watch little Winnie Winslow grow up right before my very eyes.

If only Isabella could see what her old childhood friend is up to now. If only she could see that her daughter and Winnie’s daughter are the best of buds.

“You know, a very long time ago, my sister Isabella gave me this as a birthday present,” I add quietly. “And I know she’d be over the moon to see it on you. To know that it’s yours now.”

“My mom told me that she used to be friends with your sister and that she was really funny.”

“Isabella loved your mom, and yes, she was hilarious.” I nod. “My sister was sweet and kind and just…wonderful. Anyone who met her loved her.”

“Is it hard to talk about her?”

“I think the scariest thing for me, when it comes to my sister, is forgetting things about her. I don’t ever want to forget how special she was,” I answer as honestly as I can. “But all thanks to you, for giving me the opportunity to talk about her right now, I’m remembering all of my favorite things about her, andthatis making my heart smile.”

Without responding with words, Lexi surprises the hell out of me by turning around and wrapping her arms around my waist and hugging me tightly.

And it’s almost uncanny how much this hug was exactly what I needed and how Lexi, one of the least outwardly affectionate children I’ve met, knew just how to give it to me.

Thank you, sweet girl.

Just after our hug comes to an end and Lexi is busy looking at herself in my mirror some more, I hear the soft sounds of Izzy beginning to wake up in her crib. She’s recently started this thing where she doesn’t start crying at first, but more, yelling for us. It’s basically baby babble for “Hey, I’m awake! Come get me!”

“I think I hear Izzy,” Lexi updates, and I nod in amusement.

“Yep. That definitely sounds like her. What do you say we go get her out of her crib and you can feed her a bottle while I start getting ready for work?”

“Should we get Uncle Remy up, too?”

“How about we let him sleep a little longer?” I offer a secret smile and drop my voice to a whisper. “I think he’s still taking it hard that he’s so horrible at picking out good movies for movie night.”

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