Maddie shifted closer to her, resting a hand on Hannah’s arm. “You don’t have to figure it all out right now. One step at a time, okay? You have time to decide what’s best for you and the baby.”
Hannah nodded slowly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “The thing is, I can’t get past feeling like I’ve messed everything up. I know this isn’t what my mom wanted for me. Definitely not my dad, either. If I’m being honest, it’s not whatIwanted.”
Schatzi leaned forward, her voice gentle but firm. “You haven’t messed anything up, Hannah. Life doesn’t always go according to plan, but that doesn’t mean it’s ruined. It just means you’ve got to take a different path. And that’s okay.”
Hannah sniffled, wiping at her eyes. “I wish my mom were here. She’d know what to do.”
Maddie’s heart squeezed at the pain in Hannah’s voice. She knew that feeling all too well. The longing for someone who wasn’t there, the ache of loss that never truly went away. She wrapped an arm around Hannah’s shoulders, pulling her close.
“I know,” Maddie whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “But we’re here for you, and we’ll figure this out together. You’re not alone. You have to remember that.”
Hannah rested her head on Maddie’s shoulder, her body relaxing into the comfort of the embrace. For a long time, they sat there in silence, the warmth of the fire wrapping around them like a protective cocoon.
Maddie felt a deep sense of connection in that moment—a bond that went beyond words. She had been so focused on helping Hannah, on taking care of Schatzi, that she hadn’t realized how much she needed this. The quiet, the companionship, the shared vulnerability. It wasn’t just about helping others—it was about allowing herself to be helped, too.
Even if that was hard to do, she understood how necessary it was.
Later that night, after Hannah and Schatzi had both gone up to bed and the house had settled into its quiet rhythm, Maddie bundled up and went out onto the porch, sitting in one of the rocking chairs and looking out at the moonlit snow. The world was still and silent, the mountains black against the navy-blue sky, the stars twinkling. It was a peaceful kind of quiet, the kind that didn’t feel lonely.
She heard footsteps coming up the path and turned to see Sam and Fargo approaching, the two of them outlined by the light from inside the house. Fargo bounded up onto the porch, nuzzling his face into Maddie’s hands, asking for pets.
“Hi, Fargo.” Maddie obliged him before looking at Sam. “What are you doing out?”
He shrugged. “Fargo needed to go out. This seemed like as good a direction as any to go in.”
She nodded, thinking he’d come this way on purpose, regardless of his explanation.
“I was going to ask if you minded that we joined you, but Fargo’s lack of manners seems to have beaten me to it,” Sam said, his voice low and gentle.
Maddie smiled and tipped her head toward the empty seat. “I’d love the company.”
Sam took the other rocking chair, sitting beside her as they both gazed out at the snow-covered landscape. For a while, neither of them spoke, content to share the quiet moment.
“I talked to Hannah’s dad today. You did good, getting her to call him. Bill needed that,” Sam said after a while, his tone subdued. “You’re really something with her. She trusts you.”
Maddie glanced at him, her soul pleased by the compliment. “I hope she does. I only have her best interests at heart. And I’m really just trying to give her what she needs.”
Sam nodded, his gaze still on the moonlit snow. “You’re doing more than that, Maddie. You’re giving her a place she can feel at home.”
Maddie felt a lump form in her throat, and she looked down, her hands nervously occupied with Fargo’s fur. She wasn’t used to praise, but it was especially sweet coming from someone like Sam, who always seemed to know the right thing to say.
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Maddie admitted, her voice barely audible. “You’ve been there every step of the way.”
Sam turned to face her, his eyes full of an emotion she couldn’t quite name. “I’m always here, Maddie. In case you didn’t know that.”
Maddie swallowed, her heart racing as she met his gaze. There was something unspoken between them, something that had been growing for weeks but had remained just beneath thesurface. And now, sitting there in the luminous glow of the stars, Maddie felt the weight of it pressing down on her.
“Sam,” she began, her voice trembling slightly. “Sometimes, I think I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
He smiled, a gentle, understanding smile that sent warmth flooding through her. “You don’t have to know. I’m always going to be here. You and Schatzi are not alone. There’s no reason for you to be.”
Maddie let herself believe it, maybe because she needed to. It was time to let go.
And as they sat there, side by side, looking out at the moonlit mountains, it sank into Maddie she didn’t have to carry the weight of the world on her own anymore. There was no need. She could let so much of it go.
Because she had people to share it with. Family. Friends. And they were enough.
In fact, they were more than enough.
