Page 98 of Fractured Grief
“No one. But if you and Mr. Seb are boyfriends and I have Nanny-Yaya and Yaya, then all Seb’s brothers would be my uncles.” She explained it all so matter-of-factly, like we were stupid for not realizing the obvious, that both Seb and I laughed.
“I guess you’re right, sweetheart,” I said as I gave her a one-armed hug from my seat on the couch. “So, you’re okay having an auntie, too? To go with all those uncles?”
“Of course. I can help take care of her, I’m good at that.” Sometimes she was too mature and reasonable for herown good. “We should make cookies! And with Mr. Seb here, we can teach him how to make mommy’s special snickerdoodles.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” I beamed at my sweet daughter. “Go wash your hands, and we’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
And Hazel rushed from the room, dragging a confused Seb with her, saying he needed to clean up too, and she could show him how. My heart grew three sizes at how fully Hazel accepted Seb into our lives.
We made cookies as a family. Hazel explained each step to Seb as we went, and she even made sure we all got chef’s treats. They giggled as they snuck some extras when they thought I wasn’t watching.
A warmth bloomed in my stomach at the thought of this being my life now. If I fully embraced all that Seb was offering, we could be like this all the time—a real family—not that Lex and I weren’t, but having that intimacy and connection with Seb made everything feel that muchmore special.
We were pulling the cookies out of the oven when there was a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it,” Hazel said as she rushed off. I was frozen in place; my limbs wouldn’t work to chase after her.
“Hazel, wait a moment, please,” Seb called out, before turning to me. “Indy, sweetheart. It’s okay, I’m here. Let’s go greet her together.” He took the tray from my hands with a dish towel and set it on the stovetop. Helinked my hand with his and guided me to the door. Hazel was bouncing on her toes with excitement.
“Can I open it now?” she said, exasperatedly, and surprisingly, asking Seb and not me.
Seb glanced at me, and I nodded before he spoke, “Go ahead.”
“Auntie!” Hazel exclaimed, opening the door with a flourish.
On the stoop, looking exhausted, was Grace. She looked so much like Lexi, it was haunting. Her hair was long and curly, like Lexi’s, but Grace’s was lighter, more strawberry blonde than Lexi’s and Hazel’s mahogany waves.
She had delicate, nearly elven features just like her sister, but it was her eyes that stopped me in my tracks. For a moment, it felt like Lexi was looking back at me. The same stress and sadness, the exact weight of the world, the same fierce strength. If not for the way they filled with tears, I probably would have stayed frozen, just staring.
“Come in, come in,” I snapped out of my daze and motioned her inside. She’d clearly tried to cover her injuries haphazardly with makeup, as she pulled her curtain bangs forward to cover her right eye, she side-eyed Hazel.
“It’s okay,” I whispered to Grace as I took her coat. “I explained a little to her, and she’s really good at taking care of people. There’s no judgement here, I promise.”
Grace glanced at me, still unsure. I hadn’t seen her for about nine years, so some skepticism wasto be expected.
Seb was staying back by the couch; it was like he was trying to make his giant frame smaller as he hunched his massive shoulders and leaned on his cane.
I was having none of that. “This is my boyfriend, Sebastian. Seb, this is Grace.”
Grace’s gaze snapped to mine, then to Seb, then back to me. “Boyfriend?” she breathed.
I puffed out my chest, drawing myself up, ready for a fight, I hoped I wouldn’t have to have. “Yes, boyfriend. That’s not a problem, right?”
“No, no, of course not. I was just surprised.” She’d shrunk in on herself at my firm tone. “It makes so much sense. You and Alexandra never seemed to have that sort of connection, but when you got married, everyone stopped talking about that part anyway.” She looked at her shoes, uncomfortable, I was sure.
“Okay, good.” I shook off my nervous energy. “We just finished making cookies.”
“Thank you,” she whispered and followed us into the kitchen.
“Mr. Seb, don’t you think hot cocoa would be great withthese cookies?” Hazel asked Seb.
“Why, Miss Hazel, I think you could be right. Should we make everyone some cocoa?” Seb knelt down and opened his arms for Hazel. She didn’t hesitate to jump into them as he pulled her giggling form onto his left hip. I watched with pure joy, and a few nerves, as he held her to his larger form and still used his cane to make their way over to the stove, together.
“She looks so much like Alex,” Grace whispered.
“Lexi’s mini me,” I responded. “As you get to know her, you’ll see so much of your sister in her. She’s a chip off the block.”
“I still can’t believe she’s gone. Her birthday was part of the reason for this,” Grace said as she motioned to her partially covered eye. “I was so upset when I realized the date that I burnt our breakfast, and Cain hates to be kept waiting.”
