My stomach tightened. "What about her?"
"I called your parents this morning." His green eyes met mine steadily. "To get an update on your sister."
The tightness in my stomach coiled further. Drew had always been careful about getting too involved in my sister's issues, not wanting to overstep. The fact that he'd reached out directly to my parents signaled something significant.
"And?" I prompted when he didn't immediately continue.
Drew took a deep breath. "It's not good, Elyse. The rehab center she checked into said she left after three days. She's completely off the grid again."
I nodded slowly, absorbing this information. It wasn't new, nor was it surprising, exactly. Rachel had disappeared before, but each time it happened, hope dimmed a little more.
"Your dad mentioned the conversation you had with him when Holly overheard—about Rachel potentially terminating her rights." Drew's voice was gentle but direct. "He thinks it might be the best path forward, whether Rachel agrees or not."
"Abandonment grounds," I murmured.
Drew nodded. "Exactly. And I agree with him."
"But... What does this mean for Holly?"
He slid from the chair to kneel in front of me, taking both my hands in his. "Elyse, Holly's thriving here. She's got the job at the bakery, she's making friends, she's talking about school activities for fall. She's got stability for the first time in years."
"I know," I said softly.
"I don't want to disrupt that. I don't want her to have to go back to living in uncertainty, waiting for Rachel to get her act together." His eyes were intense, unwavering. "I want Holly tocome and live with us. Permanently. I want us to be her family. Officially."
My breath caught. We'd talked about this in hypotheticals, of course. About what might happen if Rachel didn't return. But something in Drew's voice told me this wasn't just speculation anymore.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" I asked, hardly daring to hope.
Drew squeezed my hands. "I'm saying I want us to adopt Holly. If that's what she wants too. I've been thinking about it for a few weeks, but seeing how she's settled in here, seeing how happy she is despite everything... I don't want to wait anymore. I don't want to leave this as some uncertain future possibility."
Tears filled my eyes. "Drew?—"
"I know it's a big step," he continued. "And I know there are legal hurdles. But I've done some research. Given Rachel's history and the current situation, we have a good case. And your parents are supportive. They agree this is what's best for Holly. I wanted to discuss this with them first since they technically have custody of Holly."
I couldn't speak past the lump in my throat. Instead, I slid off the couch and into his arms, burying my face against his shoulder.
"So that's a yes?" he murmured into my hair, his arms tightening around me.
I pulled back, wiping at my eyes. "It's an absolute yes. I've wanted this since she got here, but I didn't want to push. I wasn't sure if you were ready for such a big commitment."
Drew's smile was soft. "Are you kidding? I've loved that kid since I met her when she was three. Having her here, watching her become part of our daily life... it just feels right, Elyse. Like she was always supposed to be our daughter."
Our daughter. The words sent a wave of emotion through me so powerful I could barely breathe.
"What if Holly doesn't want this?" I asked, voicing the fear that had kept me from bringing this up myself.
"Then we respect that," Drew said simply. "But from what I've seen, and from the way she's been talking about the future, about staying here... I think she might be waiting for us to make the first move."
I nodded, remembering Holly's tentative questions about school in the fall, about whether she could repaint her room, about longer-term plans that suggested she wanted to stay.
"When should we talk to her?" I asked.
"Soon." Drew brushed a strand of hair from my face. "I don't want her to have any doubts about where she belongs."
The sound of keys in the door made us both turn. Holly walked in, her face flushed with excitement, a white bakery box in her hands.
"You'll never believe what Jenna let me do today! I got to design a whole new cupcake flavor and—" She stopped, taking in our position on the floor, my tear-streaked face. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
