“But I need a mommy here. And you’re it now, right?”
I feel a sting at the back of my eyes. “Absolutely.”
“So why can’t I call you that?”
I hesitate. “I don’t want your grams to feel like we’ve forgotten your mom. How about you call me Mommy Quinn for a little while, and later we can shorten it?”
“Yes!” She pumps her fist in the air. “So now we’re a fam’ly! Me an’ Mommy Quinn an’ Daddy an’ Grams an’ the new baby!”
“Don’t forget Miss Jessica,” I say, painfully aware of her across the table, watching us. “She’s your stepmother.”
“My what?”
“She’s your daddy’s wife, so that means she’s your stepmom.”
“What did she step on?”
My heart, I think. I hate that Zack’s married.I’m so dismayed by the thought that I can’t come up with an answer. Fortunately, Zack and Jessica both laugh.
“She didn’t step on anything, sweetie,” I finally manage. “It’s just what you call a lady who’s married to your father but isn’t your mother. She steps in and acts like a mom when you visit her.”
“But I don’ know her.”
“You’ll get to know her. And maybe she’ll give you a little brother or sister, too,” I add.
“An’ they’ll live with us?”
“No, they’ll live in Washington, but they’ll come visit us and maybe we’ll go there to see them,” I explain.
The man at the grill calls our number. “There’s our food,” Zack says.
I’m relieved that the conversation is interrupted, but my stomach is a tangle of emotions, and my appetite has fled.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Zack
LILY FALLS ASLEEPin her safety seat on the way home, her head listing to the side. In the rearview mirror, I see Quinn brush a strand of hair from Lily’s mouth. The tender little gesture makes me smile. “It was a busy day,” I say.
“Yes, it was,” Quinn replies.
“I think Lily had fun,” Jessica remarks.
“She had a ball. I did, too.” Quinn smiles at me in the rearview mirror. “It was nice spending the day with you two.”
“Likewise,” Zack says.
Jessica bobs her head.
Quinn covers her mouth and yawns. “Excuse me,” she says, giving a sheepish grin. “Lily’s not the only one who needs an afternoon nap these days.”
“I remember pregnancy fatigue,” Jessica says, her expression wistful. “But then, I was only pregnant for a week.”
“Zack told me,” Quinn says softly. “I’m so, so sorry for your loss.”
An awkward pause dangles between the two women. I feel like I should fill it, but I don’t know what to say.
“Have you heard your baby’s heartbeat?” Jessica asks Quinn.
