Page 45 of Where Broken Wings Fly

Safer than I’ve ever felt in my life.

CHAPTER 10

WILLOW

THE ONLY - SASHA ALEX SLOAN

“Mummy! Time to wake up!”

“Go back to sleep,” I groan.

“No! We’ve been in bed all day. I’m bored.”

Grabbing the pillow that’s covering my head, Arianna exposes my eyes to the harsh glare of sunlight. It’s long past lunchtime. The last couple of nights have been riddled with sweat-soaked nightmares. Even Arianna couldn’t sleep through my screaming.

“Mummy! Let’s go!”

With Arianna tugging on my arm, I nearly fall out of the bed. Rubbing my eyes, I manage to get my feet beneath me with a pained grunt. Arianna peers up at me, and her blue eyes are on the verge of spilling tears.

“Did I hurt you?” she worries.

“No, of course not. I’m getting better, baby.”

“And you won’t be sick anymore?”

Stroking her sleep-rumpled blonde hair, I run a fingertip down the slope of her tiny nose. “What do you mean?”

“Daddy always said I’m too loud. Am I too loud? Do you want me to be quiet?”

Heart aching, I crush her against my chest. “You can be as loud as you want. No more being quiet. Shout, laugh and sing even more than Princess Elsa, if that’s what you want to do.”

“Better than Elsa?” Arianna grins.

“And even more beautiful, my princess.”

“Well, Princess Elsa was locked inside too,” she sasses.

Her snarky, six-year-old attitude is growing with each day. She’s never been prone to temper tantrums or talking back, but she’s getting more comfortable talking and questioning the world around her. In such a short space of time, the change is huge.

“Then I suppose we should go outside, huh?” I give in.

“Yay! I want to wear my new boots that Grams gave me.”

Racing over to our sparse wardrobe in the corner of the bedroom, she digs around inside and reappears with a pair of bright-red boots that I’ve never seen before.

“Grams?”

“Lola is your grandma,” Arianna points out.

“Well, yeah. But not really.”

“Why not?”

I locate some clothes to pull on. “We haven’t seen each other for a long time, Ari. Sometimes, adults have to figure stuff out.”

“Grams loves us,” she deadpans. “What’s there to figure out?”

There’s no arguing with that. Arianna’s view on the world’s complexities is simplistic, but perhaps it’s a good thing that she isn’t swayed by the same doubts and fears that adults can’t ignore. Her love isn’t conditional on any expectations.

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