Page 57 of My Scorned Best Friend

“But now she’s gonna love her new baby more than me because that baby will be hers and I’m not hers.”

I feel for the kid. I struggled with the same feelings when we all moved into this big house on the hill all those years ago.

“I think you’ll be amazed by how much love people have to share with others. Grandma loves me and I’m technically not hers.”

She frowns.

“Did you know Uncle Cade, Uncle Fisher, Uncle Adam, or Aunt Chevelle weren’t her kids biologically?”

“Biologically?”

I chuckle. “It just means you share the same genes.”

“Why would you all wear the same pants?”

I smile. “Never mind. Did you know that we all had another mom, other than your grandma?”

She shakes her head. “She treats you all like you’re hers.”

“And how is that?”

“She hugs you. She tells you she loves you.” She looks at the ceiling, deep in thought. “She tells you when you do bad things.”

“That’s the truth.” I chuckle again. “Molly’s a great mom, right? She hugs you?”

Emelia nods.

“She tells you she loves you?”

She nods again. “She braids my hair.” She touches her long braid. “She always makes me pancakes on Saturday morning. With sprinkles.”

“Sounds like she loves you a lot.”

She smiles. “She does, but…”

I shake my head. “If this family proves anything, it’s that there’s no mine and yours, there’s just ours.”

Emelia smiles.

A soft knock on the door has us both turning to look. Molly is standing there, her eyes solely on Emelia. “How we doing up here?”

“We’re just about done, right?” I eye Emelia and she nods. “Can I have a hug?”

She crawls across the mattress and wraps her small arms around me.

“Only a mom who loves her daughter would come to make sure everything is okay,” I say, and she nods into my neck. “Love you, Emelia.”

“Love you, Uncle X.”

I release her and she jumps off the bed and runs to Molly, hugging her around the small swell of her stomach.

“Oh, sweet girl. I’m glad you had a good talk with your uncle.”

She looks up at Molly. “Did you know he’s not Grandma’s?”

“I did. But you can’t tell the difference when people love each other, can you?”

Molly mouths thank you to me.

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