She opens her eyes and smiles. “Hi, hi, Daddy.”
She looks over at Haley, “Hi, Haley.”
Haley steps forward and kisses Lulu’s cheek. “You had us all worried, honey.”
I wrap my free arm around Haley and bring her into the hug.
“Thank you,” I whisper in her ear.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Haley
Liam and I leave the barn with Lulu walking between us.
A pretty woman wearing jeans and a button-down blue-striped shirt is walking toward us.
“Mama!” Lulu lets go our hands and runs toward the woman, who hugs her and buries her face in her shoulder.
When she looks up with tears in her eyes, she and Liam share a silent look.
He puts his hand on my back. “Haley found her.” He turns to me. “This is Cathy, Lulu’s mother.”
I nod at her. “So nice to meet you, Cathy. I’m so sorry for the circumstances, but I’m thrilled Lulu is safe.”
She stands up with Lulu in her arms and walks toward us.
To my great surprise, she throws her free arm around me in a warm hug. “Words aren’t enough to thank you. However did you find her?”
I explain about the stall and how Lulu discovered it yesterday. “I’m just sorry I didn’t explain in more detail to Liam where the stall was. You may have found her faster.”
“I’m so grateful to you for being here and thinking so smartly.” Cathy smiles at me, and I can see how she and Liam would have worked at one time.
She’s beautiful in a natural way, and she’s not fake in any way.
I thought if I ever met her, I’d want to tear her hair out with jealousy. But I don’t. Standing here with Liam, Cathy, and Lulu, I feel comfortable. And when Liam’s arm goes around me, Cathy smiles at me.
“You two fit,” she says.
“Cath,” Liam warns her.
She winks at me. “My ex-husband is a lot to handle. But something tells me you’re the only woman who is up for the challenge.”
I start tripping over myself that we’re not together, blah, blah, blah.
Cathy just smiles. “I’ve found labels matter a lot less than the heart.”
Something about the way she says it loosens the anxiety I’ve been carrying around about Liam and me.
Life is about risks.
It’s also about caring.
Maybe I shouldn’t try to care less.
Maybe I’ve just been caring about the wrong things.
My sister needs to find her own way. I can still love her, but I can’t be her carer.
