Page 110 of No Greater Love
I laughed, the nervous flutter in my chest settling. "He's already started. I caught him reading ‘Consumer Reports’ at breakfast."
"Of course he has." Paige rolled her eyes fondly. "He researched my bike helmet for three weeks. Three weeks! For a helmet!"
"Well, safety is important," I said, channeling Nate's earnest tone.
"You're starting to sound like him," Paige grinned. "That's good. Mom-like."
The word hit me like a gentle wave. Mom-like. Not "like a mom" or "motherly"—mom-like. As if being Paige's mom was simply a fact, as natural as breathing.
"Is that okay?" I asked softly. "Me being... mom-like?"
Paige tilted her head, looking at me with that serious expression she got when she was really thinking about something important. "Tasha, you've been my mom for months. Like, actually my mom. You came to school when I got my period. You held my hand at the doctor. You make sure I eat vegetables and help me with homework and sing along to terrible songs in the car." She paused. "You love Dad, and you love me, and you're having our baby. That's what moms do."
Actually my mom. The words, so casually delivered, so certain, landed with the force of a physical blow, but the good kind. The kind that rearranges everything inside you for the better.
All my life, I’d been the invisible middle child, the one expected to achieve without needing too much, the one who learned to build walls around her heart because overt emotion was seen as a distraction. And here was Paige, this incredible kid, not just accepting me, but claiming me. Defining motherhood not by biology or obligation, but by presence, by care.
By love.
A wave of emotion, so potent it stole my breath, washed over me. It wasn't just gratitude; it was a profound sense of healing, a validation I hadn't known I was starving for. This wasn't just being liked; this was belonging.
This was family.
"I do love you. So much, Paige. More than I ever thought I could love someone else's…" I stopped myself.
"Someone else's what?" Paige asked, but her tone was curious, not hurt.
"I was going to say 'someone else's child,' but that's not right, is it? You're not someone else's child. You're mine. Ours."
"Exactly." Paige flopped back on her pillows with the dramatic flair only eleven-year-olds could manage. "Plus, you're way better at the mom stuff than the coffee shop lady ever would have been. She didn't even know what axolotls were! I mean,come on."
I snorted with laughter. "That is pretty unforgivable."
"Right? And she kept talking about herself. Like, I asked her about sloths, and somehow she made it about her trip to Costa Rica. It was weird." Paige wrinkled her nose. "You always listen to what I'm actually saying."
"Because what you're saying is interesting," I said honestly. "You're brilliant and funny and thoughtful, and I like hearing how your brain works."
Paige beamed at that, then suddenly sat up straight. "Oh! Can we go to that fancy baby store? The one in the mall with all the expensive stuff? I want to see everything. Even if we don't buy anything, I just want to look at all the tiny baby things."
"Absolutely. We'll make a whole day of it."
"And can we get our nails done? Maya's mom took her for a manicure last month and she felt so grown up." Paige examined her currently chipped purple polish. "Maybe something baby-themed? Like pink or blue or yellow?"
"We don't know what we're having yet," I reminded her.
"But we will soon, right? When do you find out?"
"At the next ultrasound. About three weeks." I smiled at her eager expression. "Want to come with us?"
"Can I? Really?" Paige's eyes went wide. "I want to see the baby! Even if it's just a blob! Dad showed me pictures of ultrasounds and they're so cool, like little aliens!"
"I think Dad would love to have you there."
"This is going to be the BEST baby," Paige declared. "I'm going to teach them everything. How to ride a bike, how to make friendship bracelets, all the constellations, the best books to read. Oh! And I can teach them sign language! Maya's learning it in her summer program and it's so cool."
I watched her plan out her future sibling's entire childhood and felt my heart swell almost painfully. This child who'd been abandoned by one mother had embraced me so completely, so naturally. She wasn't just accepting me as her father's girlfriend or even as a stepmother—she'd claimed me as her mom, full stop.
"Paige," I said softly, "I need you to know something. Being your mom… it's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Even better than falling in love with your dad."
