“She asked me this morning if we were going to get married.”
My heart stuttered. “What did you say?”
“I told her I cared about you very much and that if something like that ever happened she’d be the first to know.” He paused. “She said she hopes we do. Because then Mia would be her sister for real.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “She said that?”
“She did.” He hesitated, a flash of pain showing in his eyes. “Then she asked if she would be allowed to live with us or if she’d be sent away.”
“Oh, Vance, that breaks my heart.”
“I reassured her that, wherever I am, she will be too. But it’s going to take some time for her to believe that. She’s hurting. Missing her mother. Even though she shouldn’t.”
It made me want to pull Margot close and reassure her that I could be her mother, if she’d let me. That I had enough love for her and Mia. “We just have to be here. She’ll start to trust we’re not going anywhere after some time.”
The doorbell rang. My stomach fluttered with nerves.
“I hope your mom won’t be alarmed about you staying with us,” I said as we headed toward the door.
“Don’t be. She’s thrilled,” Vance said.
“How do you know?”
“She told me. Said you were an answer to prayers.”
I laughed despite my nerves. “Really? That’s so nice.”
“She’s been through the worst with me. Now she and Margot finally have a chance to know each other.”
The girls came running downstairs as I opened the door. Irene stood on my porch holding a beautiful bouquet of dahlias and a bakery box tied with string.
“Lila, thank you so much for having me.” She held out the flowers. “These are for you.”
“You didn’t have to bring anything,” I said, taking the flowers. “But thank you. They’re beautiful.”
Irene turned to Mia, who was hovering excitedly. “Hello again, Miss Mia.” She handed her the box. “I brought cake from the bakery.”
“Hi, Irene,” Mia said, grinning. “Thanks for the cake. We made coq au vin for you—all of us together.”
“How wonderful. That’s my favorite.” Irene pulled her into a hug and said quietly into Mia’s ear, but loud enough that I caught it, “Thank you for being so kind to Margot. Vance told me you’ve been a lifesaver.”
Mia blushed. “I’m happy to help.”
Vance motioned for Margot to step forward. “Come say hi to your grandmother.”
“Hi,” she said quietly.
“Hello, sweetheart.” Irene crouched down, holding out her arms. “May I have a hug?”
Margot hesitated, then stepped forward into Irene’s embrace.
“I’ve missed you so much,” Irene whispered. “So, so much.”
“I don’t remember,” Margot said. “But Papa says you love me a lot. He told me I called you Mémé.”
“I do love you a lot,” Irene said, pulling back to look at her. “And yes, you called me Mémé. It’s the best thing I’ve ever been called.”
“How old was I when you saw me last?” Margot asked.
