Muriel hesitates.
“Stay strong, Muriel. She’ll be a menace if you give in,” Marcie says, grabbing Muriel’s arm as if to give her support.
“No.” Muriel shakes her head as if to clear it. “My boys will find their people if and when they’re ready. I’m not going to interfere.”
“Dammit.” Bev thunks her fist on the table. “I almost had her, Marcie!”
My laughter finally escapes, creating a domino effect with the rest of the women.
“Is it safe to come back?” Gwen slowly approaches the table.
“Yes, darling,” Muriel answers. “We’ve reined in the maverick over there.”
Gwen puts the plates of brownies across the table. “Can I refill anyone’s coffee?”
We all say no, and Gwen leaves to wait on the other customers. Marcie sets up her tablet when the girls start to get bored. Holt is supposed to come pick us up when he’s done, but that was a couple of hours ago now. I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad one.
Muriel moves closer to me now that the girls are distracted. “You doing okay, honey? I hope you know that Holt doesn’t blame you for the things Kathy said.”
I sigh. “Yeah, I know. It’s still hard. I hate being the reason there’s an issue in the first place.”
“Don’t you worry about that. Kathy was well on her way to doing something like this long before you joined our family.”
“I have no idea what I’m doing.” I whisper the confession, needing to get it off my chest to someone I know will keep my confidence. I also need advice from someone who has stood in my shoes.
“With what?”
“The girls. I never thought I would be a parent to anyone. I didn’t believe I had that sort of instinct in me until I met the girls. Now, I’m terrified I’m going to do the wrong thing and mess them up for all eternity.”
Muriel starts to laugh, and it takes her a few seconds to get it under control. “I’m sorry, honey. I promise I’m not laughing at you. It’s just that not a single one of us knows what we’re doing at any given time. The goal is to do your best, talk to your partner, and love those kids as you love yourself.”
“I never want to step on Holt’s toes or overstep my boundaries here. I’m trying to balance becoming a guardian and not replacing Hannah.”
Murial rubs my shoulder. “You’re in a tough spot because of everything they went through with Hannah’s passing. I’m not going to discount that. What I can tell you is that every time I see you interacting with the girls, I think Hannah would be so happy Holt chose a woman who loves her family the way she did.”
Tears pool in my eyes, and I try to blink them away. “They make it easy.”
“Just keep being yourself, Gia. That’s all they need from you.”
“I can do that.”
Chapter Thirty-One
The Three Best Friends Anyone Could Have
Holt
I’m headed over there.
Grayson
I’m getting secondhand nervous sweats.
Emmett
Stand your ground, Holt. Don’t let her play the grief card.
Grayson
