Hannah is curled up next to me on the couch, fast asleep, her small breaths steady and peaceful. Despite the lighthearted chatter around me, a heavy unease settles in my chest, the same feeling that’s been gnawing at me ever since Cal told me about the custody battle ahead. The very thought of losing this little girl is suffocating, especiallybecause a part of me feels responsible. Meghan wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t in the picture.
Beth leans over, nudging me with her elbow. “So, do you think I should tell him I like him? I mean, he already told me he likes me.”
I shoot her a teasing smile. “Well, he’s been honest with you. I know it might be a little nerve-wracking, but it’s your turn.”
She rolls her eyes, flopping back onto the couch dramatically. “Ugh, I knew you’d say that!”
Before I can respond, Tina’s voice breaks in. “Elle, are you okay? You’ve been kind of quiet.”
I blink, my attention snapping back to the present. “It's nothing.”
Tina’s eyes soften. “I know you, and I can tell something’s been weighing on you.”
I glance down at Hannah, still curled up against me, and let out a slow breath. “I just... I don’t know what to do. Meghan’s trying to take her, Tina.”
Jo turns, her tone reassuring. “Cal and Sylvie aren’t going to let that happen.”
“I can't get over the fact that Meghan hired a full-time nanny," I say, my voice low. "Her name is Gabby, and she told Hannah she’d be taking her to school every day. It’s like Meghan is setting the stage to have full custody.”
Tina’s face hardens, the playful spark from before vanishing. “That’s some nerve. She’s hardly been a real mom for Hannah, and now she wants to come in and rip her away from Cal?”
Beth, who has been quiet until now, pipes up, her expression serious. “Can she do that? Can she just take her away from him?”
“She can file for a modification of custody,” Jo says, rubbing her temples, as if trying to clear the fog in her mind. “She’d have to prove some kind of change in circumstances. Or that she’s better able to provide for her. We all know neither is true.”
Jo’s eyes soften, and she reaches over to squeeze my hand. “Cal is not fighting this alone, Elle. He has all of us.”
Tina leans forward, her elbows on her knees, her gaze sharp. “You can count on me, too. We’re all in this together, no matter what Meghan tries.”
I nod, taking in the familiar warmth of their presence. “Thanks. But I can’t help but wonder… what if this all ends up in a courtroom?”
Jo gives me a small smile, her eyes full of determination. “Then we fight. All of us. Because we're not losing Hannah. Not now, not ever.”
I smile, grateful for everyone’s confidence. “You’re all right. We fight with everything we have.”
As we sink back into the couch, the conversation drifts to lighter topics, but a weight settles in my chest. The battle I couldn’t fight for my sister, the one I was too young to win, now looms in front of me again. But this time, it’s for the little girl I’ve come to love as my own. And unlike before, I’m not just ready to fight—I’m prepared to win.
***
Beth stands at the head of her bed, fluffing the throw pillows with her usual precision. The soft rustling of fabric fills the quiet room as she arranges them just so, like she’s creating some sort of perfect little world in her space. I watch her for a moment, leaning against the doorframe.
I smile to myself, lost in the familiar rhythm of her actions. It takes me back to the last night we spent together, before we were torn apart. She was just a toddler, still small enough to fit in my arms, but even then, she had that perfectionist streak. I remember how she used to line up her stuffed animals on the bed. She only had three, but no matter where we were placed by the system, or where we spent our nights, she arranged her plush toys with such focus, making sure they were just right.
Beth turns, catching my gaze, and grins. “You look like you're miles away. What does Tina call it? A brown study?"
I blink, a little embarrassed for getting lost in my thoughts. "Do you remember the stuffed animals you had when you were little? You used to prop them on your bed every morning. Before we got separated."
She looks at me and smiles. "Of course I do!" she exclaims. "I still have them."
"No way!" I say, in complete disbelief.
"The day Mom and Dad brought me home, Nate, Seth, and Thomas were there waiting for me. They each handed me one of my toys. The smallest one is Stripey, the tiger. Then there's Honeypot, the bear, and the soft sloth is Slowpoke."
"You named them?" I ask, holding back a chuckle.
"The boys helped," she says with a grin. "You know, I found out years later that Cal had made the arrangements to have all our things collected from Jamie and Duke's house."
I think back to the day Meghan walked into my room at the group home and handed me a tote bag with all my belongings. There wasn’t much, but it wasmystuff.
