“Baby,” Rhetta said gently. “Can you say hello?”

Iris mouthed the word soundlessly, her gaze locked on Christy-Lynn.

Rhetta bent down and smoothed Iris’s blonde curls, her gnarled hands skimming over the child’s hair, face, shoulders, as if trying to memorize the feel of her. “Are you ready to go on a nice long car trip like we talked about? All the way to Virginia?”

It took a moment, but Iris finally nodded.

Rhetta reached for her hand, leading her across the living room to where Christy-Lynn stood. “And you’re going to be a big girl for Nonny, aren’t you?” she asked with a sudden catch in her voice. “You’re going to be brave and not cry.”

It was all Christy-Lynn could do not to turn away, but she needed to be brave too. As much for Rhetta’s sake as for Iris’s. And it was only temporary, she reminded herself. In three weeks, Rhetta would be with them in Sweetwater, living just a few miles away, a welcome addition to her rapidly growing family. In the meantime, she’d be fumbling her way through motherhood with zero advance training. Not that motherhood ever came with an instruction manual. According to Missy, you learned to be a mother by being a mother—one skinned knee and juice spill at a time. She prayed it was true.

“Let’s make sure you’re good and warm,” Rhetta was saying as she zipped Iris into her jacket. “And then it’s time to get in the car.”

“I’ll take the bags out,” Wade said, grabbing the suitcases and heading for the door.

Christy-Lynn watched him go, feeling suddenly bereft. He was giving her a few moments with Rhetta, to say whatever needed saying. But what was there to say at this bittersweet moment that hadn’t already been said over the past weeks and months?

“Iris,” Rhetta said evenly, stooping down with arms extended. “Come say goodbye to Nonny.”

Iris melted into Rhetta’s arms, her violet eyes brimming as her great-grandmother pressed one last fierce kiss to her cheek, then handed her off to Christy-Lynn. “Take care of each other,” she whispered brokenly.

Christy-Lynn stifled a gasp as Iris landed in her arms. The sudden weight of her, warm and slight and already clinging, was sobering. “It would be so much easier if you were coming with us today, Rhetta. For Iris and for me.”

Rhetta forced a smile. “Easier isn’t always best.”

“What if there’s something I need to know, like how she likes her oatmeal or what vitamins I’m supposed to buy?”

“We’ve talked about all that, Christy-Lynn. And if there’s something we missed, there’s always the phone, though I doubt you’ll need it. Aside from the nightmares, she’s an easy child, and I expect those will stop soon. She just needs to feel safe, and she will with you. You’ll see. Now get gone. You’ve got a long drive.”

“You’re not coming out to the car with us?”

Rhetta closed her eyes, throat bobbing convulsively. “I don’t think I can. I know I’ll see her in a few weeks, but we’ve never been apart, and it’s . . . hard. Just know how grateful I am to you. Everything changed the day you knocked on my door.”

Christy-Lynn blinked back tears of her own as she pressed a kiss to Rhetta’s cheek. “It’s me who should be grateful. We’re family now, and that’s something I’ve never had.”

Rhetta reached into her pocket, fishing out a tissue. “Stop that talk or you’ll really have me blubbering. Now go on. I’ve got packing to do, and you’ve got a little girl to get home.”

Iris clung to Christy-Lynn’s neck, propped on one hip as they stepped off the porch and out into the bright afternoon sunshine. Wade was waiting, the back door of the Rover thrown open, ready to buckle Iris into her car seat. Christy-Lynn met his gaze as she handed Iris over, grateful for the unspoken reassurance she saw there. She was going to be fine. They . . . were going to be fine. And in that moment, perhaps for the first time, she knew it was true.

She glanced back at the house as Wade turned the Rover toward home, recalling Rhetta’s words of gratitude. Everything changed the day you knocked on my door. The thought brought an unexpected sting to the backs of her lids.

Everything had changed for her too.

EPILOGUE

Iris sat wide-eyed on the edge of the pink princess bed, sparkly sneakers drumming rhythmically against the dust ruffle. Christy-Lynn eased down beside her, a small velvet box tied with silver ribbon in her lap.

Poor thing. She still looked a bit shell-shocked, as if afraid this new world might evaporate at any moment. And why shouldn’t she be afraid? When she’d just been whisked away from everything she had ever known. If anyone knew what that felt like, it was Christy-Lynn. But she also knew she could change that for Iris, and she would.

Wade stood watching from the doorway, a shoulder pressed against the jamb. He smiled as Christy-Lynn caught his eye, shooting her a wink that sent a ripple of warmth and gratitude through her. She hadn’t expected to feel nervous, but then she never expected to be sitting in a pink bedroom with a three-year-old gazing up at her.

“I have a present for you, Iris,” she said softly, holding out the box.

Iris continued to stare, her violet eyes wide pools of uncertainty.

“Would you like me to open it for you?”

Iris nodded then ducked her head, as if suddenly shy.