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His laugh brushes my mouth before he kisses me, and this time neither of us is in a hurry.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Bane

SEPTEMBER 2ND

Babs reaches across the breakfast table and grabs Celeste’s photograph before I can move the syrup out of her way, forcing me to catch the bottle with one hand, rescuing the edge of the picture with the other.

“Careful,” I tell her as I slide the syrup toward the center of the table. “Sticky fingerprints aren’t improving that.”

She holds the photograph between both hands and studies it as Biddy abandons her pancake to lean against her sister’s shoulder.

“That’s Mommy,” Biddy says, tapping close enough to Celeste’s face that I shift the picture farther from her finger.

Babs points to Nora. “Who’s she?”

“Her name’s Nora Bell.” I set another pancake on Biddy’s plate before sitting down beside them. “Emma and I met her yesterday.”

Across the kitchen, Emma looks up from the toast she’s eating beside the island. She’s wearing one of my shirts over leggings, her hair still damp from the shower, and every time my attention finds her, I hear the words she gave me yesterday on the drive home.

I love you, Bane.

I spent more than three years convincing myself I could live without ever hearing those words from her. Yesterday she gave them to me, and somewhere on the side of a highway, I finally gave her the ones I’ve been holding back in return.

Now I have to stop staring at her long enough to get two six-year-olds fed before school.

Babs looks between the photograph and me. “Was Nora Mommy’s friend?”

“She was.” Biddy abandons her pancake again and leans closer to the picture. “She’s also the person who’s been sending the packages.”

Both girls look up at me.

“The book too?” Biddy asks.

“And the music box?” Babs adds before I can answer.

“All of it came from Nora because she wanted you to have more things that were important to your mom.” I move Biddy’s pancake closer and put the fork back into her hand. “Your mom helped Nora a long time ago when she needed somewhere safe to live, and they stayed friends.”

Babs studies Nora’s face beside Celeste’s. “What did Mommy do?”

“Nora wanted to become a nurse, and your mom helped her when paying for school and taking care of her little girl got difficult.”

Biddy’s forehead wrinkles and works through that. “Mommy made her a nurse?”

“Nora made herself a nurse.” I cut another piece of pancake for her before she forgets breakfast completely. “She did all the studying and all the work, but your mom helped her keep going.”

“Like homework?” Biddy asks.

“Much harder than your homework.”

Babs turns the photograph around so she and Biddy can see it better. “Did Mommy help lots of people?”

Mom answers from the other side of the table. “Your mother was very good at finding people who needed help.”

Babs looks straight at me. “Like Daddy.”

Emma chokes on a laugh. I reach for my coffee and Babs grins at the trouble she’s caused.