Kaya obliged and pressed her close as she giggled uncontrollably. Kaya breathed in the sounds of joy. Anything was better than the ominous cloud hanging over the house, waiting to burst and drench their hearts with sorrow. She took a few wavering steps and plopped down on the sofa closest to the deep-ledged fireplace that separated the living and dining areas.
For a few moments, she gazed out at the winter wonderland beyond the tinted glass windows. She was surrounded with a white calmness, so different from the unceasing din of Palm Beach. Life will be very different for these children in Palm Beach, she thought, turning her attention to Alyssa who was now fiddling with her locket again. “Where’s everybody?” she asked.
“Jason’s in his room and Miss Libby is in Stasia’s room.” Alyssa clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes opening wide. “Shhhh.” She brought her lips close to Kaya’s ear. “Miss Libby says be quiet ‘cause she’s putting Stasia to bed.”
Kaya chuckled. “Now you tell me after all that screaming you just did.” Thank God the house was huge, and that the nursery was on the second floor on the opposite side of house.
“I thought I heard you.”
Kaya smiled at the freckled-face redhead descending the stairs. She’d known Libby for less than twenty-four hours and she already felt as if they were close friends.
Kaya had felt very welcomed since she’d stepped off the plane in Manchester to find a Fontaine Enterprises jet, albeit a small one, waiting to fly her to Granite Falls. She’d arrived at L’etoile du Nord to meet Libby and Steven, Ethan Bennett—whom she learned was Jason’s best friend—and his mother, Adrianna. She’d also met Pastor Reuben Kelly and his wife Samantha from Granite Falls Community Church. They’d all raced to the house the night Michael and Lauren died, and had stayed with the children until Kaya arrived.
If it was one thing that was made clear to Kaya right away, it was that the children had a strong support system in place. They’d shown up in the time of a crisis, and Kaya was grateful for the time they’d spend with her and the children, but once they felt that she could handle the situation, they’d returned to their families and lives. Pastor Kelly had a church to run and Samantha had other clients to attend to. Adrianna had two more children at home—a toddler and an infant—and Libby had a previously scheduled bridal dress fitting.
If Kaya were to be honest with herself, she’d admit that after everyone went home last night, leaving her all alone with a screaming infant, she’d been tempted to catch the first flight back to Florida this morning. But when Alyssa had crawled into her bed in the early hours of dawn, wrapped her arms about her neck and told her that she loved her, all thoughts of running had been vanquished from Kaya’s mind. This situation was different from any she’d ever faced, and she knew she was already messing up, big time, but she wasn’t a quitter. She wasn’t going to quit these kids just because her circumstance looked impossible to overcome.
“Is she sleeping?” Kaya asked, jutting her chin at the monitor in Libby’s hand.
Libby set the monitor on the marble table in front of the sofa and sat down beside Kaya. “I got her to take a couple ounces of formula. That will hold her for a little while. She misses nursing.” She rolled her eyes in Alyssa’s direction.
Kaya nodded her understanding. Samantha had instructed them not to say anything to Alyssa about her parents’ deaths until Bryce was back. Samantha thought he should be the one to tell her since he’d been like a father to her for her entire life. Only now did Kaya understand the gravity of those words. Would Samantha testify on Bryce’s behalf in a custody battle?
Kaya swallowed and smiled at the child sitting on her lap. “Alyssa, can you go play with your dolls for a while? I need to talk with Miss Libby.”
“I wanna stay with you.” Alyssa tightened her hand around Kaya’s waist. “I’ll be quiet and not interrupt.”
“I know you’ll be quiet, but I need to talk about some grownup stuff with Miss Libby. It’s just for a little while. Okay?”
Alyssa pouted and reluctantly climbed off her lap. “Will you play dolls with me?”
“In a little while.”