Hold My Hand (Del Ray Brothers Book 2) by Cleopatra Margot

Author:Cleopatra Margot [Margot, Cleopatra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Meraki Publishing
Published: 2024-02-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

$6.54 Honey

Jordan

“Daddy, why don’t we have mommies?”

Jolene’s question should have sent the peeler in my hand tumbling into the sink, but I caught it. My surprised gaze met Colton’s, who stood beside me in Graham’s kitchen while we got lunch ready, then trailed to Graham, who sat next to Jolene at the table. Neither of my brothers said anything, but based on their blank expressions, they were as unsure of what to say as I was.

“Uncle Coat and Uncle Graham don’t have one, either,” Jolene continued. Her socked feet dangled above the scarred wooden floor, a red crayon perched thoughtfully between her fingertips. “But Grandpa does—So, why don’t we?”

Buying myself a moment to form an answer, I set the carrot and peeler on the counter before turning slowly to face my daughter. Her question was one I’d known would come eventually—I just hadn’t expected eventually to be today.

“Well,” I began, rubbing my hands on a dish towel, “sometimes things don’t always, ah, work out the way a mommy and daddy thought they would.”

Graham didn’t look up from the coloring page Jolene had torn out for him, but he grimaced lightly. It was a small miracle Colton didn’t have a smart remark for my lackluster explanation.

Swallowing, I tossed the towel onto the counter and lowered into the chair beside Jolene’s. “What made you think of that question, sweetheart?”

“I guess I just wondered, ‘cause Sadie has a mommy and a daddy. And Uncle Graham’s Ember has one, too.” Jolene shrugged, lips pulled to the side. “But why can they have one if we can’t?”

Lord, I prayed feebly, a little guidance here would be insanely helpful.

“Did…” Jolene’s voice trailed off, but she straightened her shoulders and looked me directly in the eyes. “Did my mommy not want me?”

The question punched me in the stomach, and for a moment I couldn’t breathe, let alone provide an adequate answer. How was I to tell my innocent seven-year-old daughter she was spot on without being too harsh? Without directly throwing Chelsea under the bus, even if that’s what the human part of me wanted to do.

I set my hands on the table and waited for Jolene to slide her palms into mine. “Your mommy loved you, Jolene, but she wasn’t in the place to be the mommy she thought you deserved when you were born.” It wasn’t the full truth, but it wasn’t a lie either. “So, she did something that was really brave: she trusted me to take care of you.”

Jolene seemed to ponder my words for a moment. Her soft blue eyes never left mine, but the set of her mouth told me she was processing. It was the same expression Chelsea had worn when I told her I’d do anything to raise our child.

Even if it meant doing it alone.

“Was your mommy like that, too?” Jolene finally asked. “She didn’t think she could be a mommy?”

Across the table Graham inhaled sharply, and behind me, Colton cleared his throat. My chest twinged uncomfortably at the mention of our absent mother, but I found a small smile for my daughter.

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