Page 54 of Marry Me, Maybe?
“Thank you,” I said. “For everything.”
When Miss Kelly stepped aside, I went over to Ivy, who got up and practically fell into my arms. A lump formed in my throat.
“Hey, baby.” I wrapped her close. “You okay?”
She didn’t speak. Just curled into me like she wanted to disappear. Her small fingers fisted the fabric of my shirt, and her cheek stayed glued to my collarbone. Not a word. Not even a nod.
I thanked Miss Kelly again, maxed out my credit card paying for her visit, then carried my daughter to the truck. I strapped her gently into her car seat. Still nothing. No resistance, no protest. Just that too-quiet blankness while shefiddled with her overalls. I smoothed her hair off her forehead and kissed the top of her head.
Climbing into the driver’s seat, I glanced at her through the rearview mirror.
“You hungry, Ivy?” I tried to force some cheer into my voice, but it was difficult around the lump in my throat. “Wanna stop by the bakery? Maybe Miss Loreen will have a cake for you to decorate again.”
Silence.
“You want grilled cheese when we get home? Or hot dogs? You can pick.”
Nothing. Not even a shrug.
I gripped the steering wheel a little harder than necessary and turned the engine over. The drive back to Bristlecone Springs from Cockburn felt longer than usual. Every glance in the mirror was a reminder of how still she sat, head tilted, eyelids drooping like she might fall asleep.
God, if only I could take her home. Tuck her into bed. Let her nap off whatever this was. But the pantry was almost bare, and the milk had gone bad that morning.
“We’ll have to make a quick stop for groceries, Bug,” I said. “Just to grab a few things. Is that okay?”
I didn’t expect a response. Didn’t get one either.
And still, it stung.
The automatic doors whooshed open, letting us into the supermarket. The sudden chill of the air conditioning prickled down my arms. I reached for Ivy’s hand, and she slid hers into mine without a word, small and clammy and fragile.
As we moved through the aisles, she stayed glued to my side, no tugging away, no darting off like she sometimes did when she spotted something she liked. Just her softfootsteps matching mine, close enough that her little shoulder brushed my leg with every step.
In the cereal aisle, she stopped in front of the shelves, slowly scanning the bright boxes. She let go of my hand, and I watched her fingers hover… then close around the box with the cartoon monkey she loved. She didn’t smile, but something in her posture eased. A small moment of choice. Of control. She handed it to me to place in the cart without a sound, then wandered to the next shelf to grab her Jello packs.
It wasn’t much, but I took it. I took anything.
My phone rang.
I fished it out of my back pocket and pressed it to my ear. “Hello?”
“Hudson… are you finally over your tantrum?”
I blinked, the voice on the other end familiar and yet strange at the same time. “Mom?”
A pause. “How are you doing? Are you still living in that small town?”
“How do you know?—”
“I know everything about you, Hudson. You might have walked away from our family?—”
“You kicked me out.”
“You were disgracing the family with your abominable behavior, but I hear you’ve settled down with a wife and a child now. You should bring them for a visit. I’d especially love to meet your daughter.”
She knew about Ivy? Was she keeping tabs on me?
I turned around instinctively, like I could hide Ivy from the conversation. My chest dropped. She wasn’t by my side anymore.
