My sister flashes a soft smile up at me. “Well, we already knew the ears locked that in, but good to know it’s official.” A curt nod is all I can muster at the moment. “Now, unclench your shoulders, stop stressing about something you can’t control, and embrace this new life of yours.”
Rolling my eyes, I grumble, “Yeah. Fine.”
Dilynne might think she’s healed, but I know there are still demons she fights too. No one handles what life throws at them without a scar or two. And even though it’s not Elodie’s fault that I’m in this predicament, I still think it’s best that I focus on the fact that she works for me and keep that line drawn in the sand.
I trek back across the grass to find Elodie feeding Remy a bottle as I take a seat back on the blanket, the opening credits toToy Storyplaying through the speakers around us. “Sorry about that.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just sibling stuff.” Sighing, I watch Elodie adjust Remy in her arms.
Silence rests between us until she says something that only further fuels my irritated mood. “So, you had foster parents?”
“I was wondering when you were gonna bring that up,” I mutter, reaching into the diaper backpack for a few bottles of water I brought for us, unscrewing the cap on mine and taking a drink.
“Honestly, I was waiting for the right time but realized there probably isn’t one.”
“You’re right about that.”
Shaking her head, she looks down at Remy. “I couldn’t imagine not having my parents in my life. Even though they both had their faults, I was lucky to be raised in a home with a mom and a dad, a brother that I got along with for the most part, and I never felt unsure of what the day would bring.”
“Yeah, well, some kids are better off without their biological parents.” Jutting my chin toward Remy, I say, “Her mom didn’t want her, and I’m going to make sure that I do everything in my power to make sure she doesn’t ever feel like she’s missing something because of that.”
“Carol and Nick seemed pretty great.”
“They are. Honestly, I’m not sure where we would have ended up if it weren’t for them. I had to write a letter to the deputy district attorney, pleading for us to be able to stay with them when they moved us. Carol was the first foster mom we had that Dilynne connected with. I didn’t want her to lose that, and luckily, the DA listened. We got placed back in the home and were able to stay with them until we both turned eighteen.”
Our eyes meet, hers glistening with unshed tears. “Remy and Dilynne are so lucky to have you, Henley. I know your life has completely changed in the past week or so, but this little girl has a family here—her aunt, Laney, your friends.” Tilting her head, she asks, “Family doesn’t have to be blood, does it?”
A wave of contentment rolls through me. “The only family I have besides Dilynne isn’t related to me at all, El. And frankly, I thinkchosen family is the best kind. There’s no obligation, you know? No guilt for cutting things off. Toxic people are toxic, regardless of if they’re related to you or not.” I reach out and stroke Remy’s tiny arm, her soft skin making my chest grow tight with a protective instinct that’s only growing stronger by the day.
“I get that,” she replies, but doesn’t elaborate further.
And it’s at this moment I decide it’s time to turn the tone of the evening around. I opened up a bit, even though I didn’t want to. But Elodie makes me want to fucking talk. It’s like every time I talk to her, her sunshine sucks the darkness from my soul.
Too bad Dilynne wasn’t around to hear it, though.
Emotionally immature, my ass.
Standing, I say, “I’m going to get us some popcorn before it’s all gone. Any flavor requests?”
Looking up at me, her gray eyes shining in the orange sunlight, she flashes me the most annoying smile—annoying because it makes me want to smile right back at her. “I told you. I want them all. Don’t let me down, Henley.”
And as I walk across the courtyard to the popcorn cart, my stomach twists with the reminder that I could let herandmy daughter down in more ways than one—especially if I act on this attraction to my nanny that’s growing stronger with each passing day.
***
“So, she’s definitely yours?” Rhonan asks as we wait for our turn at the bocce ball courts, where I just told him and Elliot about the paternity test results I received yesterday, feeling more at ease now that I got to tell my sister first. The Hart Winery courtyard is filled with peopletaking in all of the activities tonight. Most families are still trying to watch the movie, but there’s a bustle of movement and chatter all around from those that can’t sit still.
Honestly, movie nights usually end up like this. The movie is there for entertainment, but groups use it as an excuse to hang out and support the winery and community of Blossom Peak. This winery attracts a lot of tourists, so all businesses profit from their events.
I glance between two of my best friends, silently wishing the third was here as well. Fletcher is in Charlotte this week, deep into the preseason. We have plans to head down there next month to catch a game with our whole crew, which hasn’t happened in a few years. But now that Laney and Fletcher are together, I’m sure it will happen more often.
“She is.” I take a drink of my soda, opting not to drink wine tonight since Elodie mentioned wanting a glass earlier, and I don’t want her to feel like she can’t enjoy herself. “I knew it from that first day, but it feels good to have it confirmed. Now I just need Elliot to draw up the custody papers and send them to Meghan.”
Elliot arches a brow at me. “You sure that’s what you want?”
“Absolutely,” I say without hesitation. “Meghan made it clear that she doesn’t want to be a mom, and the last thing I’m going to do is let her try to go in and out of Remy’s life when she feels like it. My parents did that shit to me and Dilynne—swearing to us that things would change, promising us trips that never happened, and leaving us disappointed time and time again. I’ll be damned if I let someone do that to my daughter.”
