Page 76 of Keeping the Score

“Why didn’t you let us know sooner?” She fixes a chiding gaze on him. “We could have come helped!”

“You were on your trip. You’ve been waiting your whole life to go on that trip.”

“We would have cut it short. Family is important.”

“I didn’t want you to do that. I wanted you to enjoy yourselves. You’ve done enough for me.”

She lowers her chin. “Ford. There’s no such thing as enough when it comes to family. Yes, we supported you, but just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean that stops. We’ll always be here for you.”

I smile. Mrs. Archibald may be a free spirit, but she has a good heart.

“Okay.” Ford nods, looking a little emotional. “We managed. And I have a nanny now. I’m not sure what’s happening with Willa and her parents, though.”

“I don’t know how a mother could leave her child that long.” Mrs. Archibald shakes her head. “Her parents must have been seriously injured.”

I look over at Tilly. She’s staring off to the side and yawning. I give Ford a nudge.

“Yeah, she said it was serious.” He looks at his phone. “It’s time for Tilly’s nap.”

“Oh, she can stay awake a while longer! I haven’t gotten to hold her much.”

“No,” Ford says firmly. “We’ve just gotten her on a schedule. Well, sort of.” He makes a face. “She doesn’t always agree with the schedule. But it’s helped with her sleeping at night, so we’re not going to mess with it.” He stands and takes Tilly from his dad.

“She’s tired,” I say. “She needs a nap before she gets overtired. Want me to put her down?” I stand, too.

Ford meets my eyes and his crinkle up at the corners. “Thanks.” He hands her off and I take her to his bedroom. I hear Ford and his parents continuing to talk while I get her in her bed. She’s pretty good at settling herself if we get her here before she’s overtired. That’s when we get reminded of her healthy lungs and spicy temper. That makes me smile as I look down on her. I admire the perfect curve of her cheeks, the tiny rosebud of her mouth, the arc of her long lashes on her cheeks.

I turn on the monitor and quietly leave the room to rejoin the others.

“Can I get anyone something to drink?” I ask.

“I’d love a whiskey,” Mr. Archibald says.

“Sorry, Dad, I don’t have any,” Ford answers. “Coke? Water? Gatorade?”

“There’s herbal tea, also,” I say.

“Herbal tea would be perfect,” Mrs. Archibald says.

I go into the kitchen to make it. Ford’s parents are telling him about their trip, which sounds amazing. Clearly, they had the time of their lives.

They’ve switched to asking Ford about his game when I carry mugs of tea into the living room. “Here you go, Mrs. Archibald.” I set a cup on the coffee table.

“Oh, please call me Dahlia,” she says. “And thank you.”

“And you can call me Holden,” Ford’s dad says.

“You seem very at home here,” Dahlia says. Her tone and expression are neutral, but I have a feeling the commentisn’tneutral.

I smile. “I stayed here quite a bit looking after Tilly when Ford was at practices or games. Sometimes I took her to my place so I could get work done.”

“And what is it you do, Andi?” Holden asks me.

I tell them about my job, my business that I’ve started.

“She’s doing really well,” Ford tells them. “She has more business than she can handle.”

I turn to smile at him, touched by his compliment. He actually looks proud of me.

---