Page 53 of Fractured Grief
This family was something else. Boisterous, compassionate, and caring. You could feel the love between each of them, even as they teased and sassed each other.
“Anyway. I have a few sets of clothes for your little sweetheart here and a new toothbrush, pajamas, and a few coloring books.” She gazed lovingly at my daughter.
Hazel took that moment to stir and wake up. Rubbing her eyes, she saw Kat and huddled into me, hiding her face over my shoulder.
“It’s okay, sweetie. This is Kat. She’s Seb and Lyric’s mom,” I spoke gently, trying to shift her so she could face the group and become part of the conversation. “She has some stuff for you. We’re going to have a sleepover at Seb’s house. How’s that sound?”
“A sleepover?” She leaned back and cautiously looked between Seb and me. “Can we watch movies and have popcorn? I’ve never had a sleepover before.”
“We’ll see. It’s already late and Daddy’s pretty tired.”
“What about just one movie before bed?Pleeease,Daddy?”
Seb chuckled. “Is she always like this?” he asked.
“Pretty much. Butter wouldn’t melt.” The smile we shared was heated and held so much, turning back to Kat. “Thank you so much. How much do I owe you?”
“Don’t be silly. This is what we do for family,” she spoke like it was nothing, but those words hit me square in the chest.Family. Lexi and I had longed to build and grow our family. Make friends, find love, find others we could share our new lives with. And here Kat, Seb, and Lyric were, offering me what I’d always wanted so freely.
My eyes welled as I croaked out mythanks,yet again. This family kept hitting my emotional core. I was so thankful I was assigned to Seb all those weeks ago.
Once Kat left, we quickly finished up at Doc’s office, and Lyric drove us back to the house. Haze was a little unsure when we pulled up.
“Your house is huge,” she said. “You even have a backyard! That’s so cool.” She shot out of the car, ready to explore even though the sky was dark. “Do you have a swing set, play equipment, or a treehouse? You should have a treehouse. That would be the best!” She was talking a mile a minute as we walked to the front door.
“Unfortunately, no, I don’t have any of those. But a treehouse would be pretty cool,” Seb beamed at my daughter.
“A treehouse would be so cool,” Lyric exclaimed, bringing up the rear and helping carry the bags Kat had given me. Hazel would be set for a week.
Seb led the way inside, using his cane, with Hazel chatting away about treehouses and our movie nights. My stomach filled with so much warmth at the sight of this giant man talking and laughing with my daughter.
If I thought Seb and I had a huge size difference, it was nothing in the way Seb dwarfed my little girl. She barely made it to his waist, but the way she grinned up at him as they chatted warmed my heart.
Once inside, I made my way to the couch and flopped down. I was exhausted. Hazel and Seb quickly joined me, with Lyric coming back from Seb’s room after dropping off the bags.
“How about I run out and get some food from the restaurant?” Lyric said. “What does the little one like?”
“Restaurant? What restaurant?” I asked, glancing at Seb and Lyric.
“Oh, it’s our family restaurant, Elpízo,” Lyric answered. “It means Hope in Greek. It seemed fitting when Yaya moved over with my Pa and his brothers from Cyprus back in the sixties and settled in Hope’s Ridge.”
“Wow. So, your family has been here for ages. Does that mean you’ve all worked at the restaurant at some point over the years? I don’t think I’ve ever had Greek food. What’s it like?”
“Oh my God, it’s delicious,” Lyric exclaimed. “You have to try the Moussaka, and the lemon potatoes are amazing.But then there’s souvlaki and keftedes and loukomadies and baklava.”
“Woah, slow down, Lyric,” Seb cut in. “Indy probably doesn’t know what any of those are.” He smiled at me in understanding at the look on my face.
I quickly shook my head. “No idea what most of those are. Except baklava, I’ve heard of that.”
“Sorry,” Lyric looked a little sheepish. “It’s all such great food, and most is cooked by Ma or Yaya or someone related to us. I can’t wait for you to try it.”
“How about this? Is there anything you don’t eat or can’t?” Seb asked.
“No, I eat everything…” I paused to glance at Hazel. “Although if there’s something simple for Haze, like fries and nuggets or something a bit plain, that would be great. She has some sensory issues with food.”
“I’ll get a spread, and she could choose some things that look good. Would that work?” Lyric asked.
“Yeah, that could work,” I smiled at Lyric. “Thanks so much for your help today.”
