Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Here I felt needed. Wanted.
I shook my head and headed to Mia’s room. I could hear the timbre of Simon’s voice from downstairs, so I knew he was still busy. I sat on the floor, and Mia sat between my legs as I brushed her hair and began the intricate double French braiding. Simon was adept at braiding, which surprised me, but the double French one was too much. I enjoyed doing it with Mia. She loved the attention, and it was “our thing.” We chatted a little, but I noticed she’d gone quieter than normal.
“Are you tired?” I asked. “First day of school and everything?”
“A little.”
“Only four days this week,” I said. “You can sleep in a little on Saturday, and then we’ll do something fun.”
“What if it rains?”
“We can still go out for lunch. Maybe have a movie afternoon.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“Good. I need an elastic, please.”
Mia handed me one over her shoulder. “How come you don’t have any kids, Amy?”
I laughed lightly. “I haven’t found the right man to have kids with.”
“Some of the kids in my class only have moms. How does that work?”
“Um, it’s a bit complicated.”
She sighed. “Dad says that a lot.”
“He’s right.”
I switched to the other side, my fingers separating and braiding her hair. She spoke again.
“You’d be a good mom.”
“You think so?”
She was silent for a moment. “The lady who was supposed to be my mom isn’t a good one.”
“Sometimes being a mom isn’t for everyone,” I said gently. “But you have an awesome daddy who loves you very much.”
“I know. But sometimes I’d like a mom too.” She became quiet, her voice dropping. “Sometimes I wonder why she couldn’t love me. Maybe I was a bad baby.”
“No,” I said firmly. “You were a great baby. Your dad told me. Your mom—”
She cut me off. “I don’t think of her as my mom. Just a lady who grew me in her tummy and gave me to Daddy.”
I was surprised at the maturity of her thinking, but Simon was right. She was very smart and wise for her age a lot of the time. Other times, she was just Mia, the funny little girl I had come to adore.
I finished her hair and turned her to face me. “That’s okay, Mia. You can think of her any way you want. They’re your feelings, and you have every right to have them.”
“Real moms are there. They love you. Protect you.”
Before I could respond, she kept going. I heard a floorboard squeak, and I knew Simon had come upstairs and he could hear her as well. “That lady just gave me away to Daddy. She never comes to see me. Would you give me away, Amy?”
“No.”
“Neither would Daddy. He protects me.”
“He does.”
“Auntie Holly is a real mom. She stayed with her kids. Last week, another girl was being mean to Hannah in the park, and before Uncle E could even move, Holly was there, telling the kid not to be so mean. She scolded her and made sure Hannah was okay. She hugged Hannah and kissed her knee where she’d fallen when the girl pushed her. Sometimes I wish I had a mom who did that too.” She twisted around and looked at me, her pain in her eyes. “But I love my daddy. Is that okay?”
“Oh, Mia,” I whispered. “Yes, it’s okay to want a mom. I know you love your daddy. He knows it too. And he loves you so much.”
“Could you be my mom?” she asked.
My heart stuttered at her question, and I knew I had to answer carefully.
“I don’t know what the future holds. You and your dad have to decide that one day. But Mia, I promise you, no matter what happens, I’ll always be your friend, okay?”
“You won’t leave me like she did?”
“Your friend,” I repeated. “Always. Even if your dad finds you a new mom you love more than me. Because friends are forever.”
“I would like it to be you.”
“Sweetheart,” I said softly, pushing a wisp of hair I’d missed off her face. “That is a grown-up decision. Sometimes when you’re big, things aren’t so easy. Your dad and mom separated so they could be happier on their own. Your daddy was happiest with you. He’s going to give you the best mom one day. But it’s a decision he is going to take a while to make. You can’t rush him. He has to make it the right way, or he’ll be unhappy again.”
“If he wanted it to be you, would you say yes?”
I had no idea what brought on this serious conversation. The first day of school? The new kids and seeing all the moms pick them up? Something else? But I was unsure how to respond. Simon walked in, dropping to his knees in front of Mia. He stroked her cheek.