“I’ve had a long morning.” Ann offered her a smile.
“Oh, no, shall I get the kettle on?”
“No, it’s fine. Katie and I are going to take the dogs for a walk, and then we’re going to head home. I hope that’s okay.”
“If you need to talk?”
“Maybe later. For now, I just want to deal with this.”
“Of course, of course.”
She got the leads for the dogs and walked them out of the house, down to the park.
Katie ran after them, throwing a ball and playing catch.
Tucking her hair behind her ears, she allowed herself to finally touch her stomach. There were no signs of pregnancy. No bump.
No nothing. Soon she would have a bump. A little piece of her time with Eli.
Would she ever be the same? Watching Katie, she knew it would break her heart to leave the little girl, but what other choice did she have? There were no other choices. Her life was about to change a lot.
After an hour out in the park, Katie was starved, and the dogs were tired. They walked them back to Elizabeth. She held on to the older woman, needing comfort of any kind in their goodbye hug.
Next, they were back in the car, and then at her home.
With her stomach settled, she cooked them up some pasta with vegetables, one of Katie’s favorites as she loved broccoli. The kid was obsessed with it, and she didn’t want to let her down, so broccoli it was, and pasta, possibly some cream, but again, she wasn’t sure.
With everything made up, they sat in the living room, eating.
Katie talked all the time about her school and what she was getting up to.
“And then we’re going to be learning math. I hate math. I like it when we add up and subtract but I hate everything else.” She wrinkled her nose. “What was your favorite lesson in school?”
“I didn’t have one. I just went to school, got my head down, did what I needed to do.”
“You went to college.”
“I know.”
“I want to go to college. I want to be super-smart like you or my dad. Ann, can I ask you something?”
“Sure, you can ask me anything.”
“Would you be my mommy?” Katie asked.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the little girl. “Katie, you already have a mommy.”
“No, I don’t. I don’t know her, and I don’t miss her. It’s weird, but everyone knows what it’s like to love a mommy and when they tell me what it feels like, I think of you. Always. You take care of me. When I’m sick, you read to me. When I’m not sick you cook food for me. You love me, don’t you, Ann?”
“Yes, of course I love you. I’ll never stop loving you.” She held her arms open and Katie threw herself into them.
“Katie, sweetie, you need to go and get ready for bed,” Eli said, startling the two of them.
They pulled apart and Ann got to her feet.
“Daddy, you forgot to pick me up,” Katie said, running toward her dad. She threw her arms around him.
“I know, honey, and I won’t do it again. There were a few things I had to do.”
“You did, like what?”
“When you’re older, you’ll find out.”
“You just told me that you loved me.”
“I did. Do you want me to tell you again?” he asked.
“You can’t love me.”
“I do.”
“But, why did you run out? Is this because of the baby? Are you doing the right thing because I’m pregnant, is that it? You don’t have to do something like that. This doesn’t have to change our lives like that.”