I’m not sure I like it either.
“You are probably the nicest person I’ve ever met,” she says, running a finger under her left eye.
“I’ll be sure to tell my brothers you think so.”
She grins.
Her mouth opens to speak again when the door squeaks. Our attention snaps to the doorway as Shera walks in. She steps to the side, and a little girl peeks around her legs.
Jaxi moves to the edge of her chairs, and I sit back in mine. We take in the wide-eyed, freckle-faced, wild-haired little girl clutching a glow worm in her arms.
Shera squats down. “Rosie, I’d like you to meet someone.”
Rosie bites her bottom lip and squeezes the Glo Worm even tighter. “You are Auntie Jaxi.”
Jaxi’s face wrinkles as she fights back a blast of emotions. “I am, sweetheart.”
“Do you know your Auntie Jaxi?” Shera asks.
Rosie shakes her head. “No. But my mommy keeps a picture of her by her bed. I know you like Easy Bake Ovens too. And had a dog named Piper. He was silly.”
Jaxi brings her hands to her face and covers her nose and mouth. Her lashes dampen as she nods her head.
Rosie turns to me. “My mommy didn’t have pictures of you.”
“No, because I didn’t know your mommy,” I say carefully.
What do I do? Do I ask her about her mom? Do I say something nice? Do I pretend to have known something about her to make her like me?
Rosie slowly, still clutching her Glo Worm, makes her way toward me. She stops a few feet away.
Her little chubby hand reaches out, and she touches the face of my watch with a short finger. Then she looks at me and smiles.
“My mommy would be your friend,” she says.
“Do you think so?” I ask.
She nods, her lips pursing together like she’s going to blow a bubble.
“Do you know how old I am?” Rosie asks me.
I pretend to think about it. “Sixteen?”
She laughs. Her eyes crinkle at the corners as she shakes from the force of her laughter.
“No, silly!” she exclaims.
“Twenty?”
“No!” She laughs again. “I’m four.” She holds up four fingers.
“Four is a good number,” I say.
She nods her head happily. “I’ve waited my whole life to be four.”
I laugh too. “I’m happy you made it here.”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I cringe. Rosie seems not to bridge the concept of making it to four and the current situation.
Shera stands. “You’ll be going home with your auntie Jaxi and Boone today, Rosie. Is that all right with you?”
Rosie looks over her shoulder and nods.
Shera smiles at her and then looks back at Jaxi. “I have a couple of boxes of her things that you can take with you. There isn’t much.” She lifts her chin. “Jeanette was living with a boyfriend—”
“Kurt,” Rosie chimes in. She takes my wrist in her hands and brings it to her face. She studies the watch as if it’s the most interesting thing in the world. It’s ridiculously adorable the way her nose curls up like a rabbit and her forehead wrinkles like an old scientist studying his data.
“That’s right. Kurt,” Shera says. “I can give you his information if you want to inquire about anything else that would’ve been Jeanette’s. From what I’m told, however, what we were given is all Mr. Oberrio says is hers.”
Jaxi stands. “It’s fine. Um, do we know the father—who’s the father …” She glances down at Rosie, who is twisting my hand back and forth, inspecting my watch.
Shera glances down too. “We do. I can give you his information. He’s incarcerated in New York State and has relinquished all rights. After reviewing his file, I think that might’ve been one of the only good things he’s ever done.”
“Great,” Jaxi mumbles. “Do I need to sign anything?”
“You do. We can do that on your way out.” Shera crouches again. “Do you have any questions for us, Rosie?”
The little girl looks up at Jaxi. “Can I still go to school next year? I’ll be five.”
“Of course you can.”
Rosie drops my wrist and turns to her aunt. She wiggles her finger as if beckoning Jaxi to come to her.
Jaxi squats down so they’re eye to eye.
Their similarities are obvious. They have the same color hair, although Rosie’s is a bit lighter. Their eyelashes are insanely dark and long, and Rosie has the same widow’s peak as her aunt. It’s wild.
Rosie grins. “I know my mommy had to go see Piper. Piper missed her a whole lot.”
Jaxi blinks quickly. “I’m sure she did, sweetheart.”
“Me too. I miss my mommy already.” She hugs her Glo Worm to her chest. “But I’m glad Mommy picked you for me to stay with.”
“Me too.”
Rosie steps closer to her. “Your eyes look just like hers.” She touches the side of Jaxi’s face. “Will you hold still for a minute?”
I look at Shera. She’s holding a hand to her chest, and I understand why. There’s a knot that’s formed right in the center of my pecs too.
I keep imagining this being Coy’s little boy someday. I’m not sure how that would feel, but I know I’d be fucked up.
Is it easier that she didn’t know Jeanette? Or harder? How is she keeping it all together like this?
Rosie’s hand drops. “We’re going to have fun, aren’t we?”
“We definitely are,” Jaxi tells her.
“Good.”
She lunges toward Jaxi and wraps her arms around her neck. The force knocks Jaxi off balance, and she nearly tumbles backward.
Jaxi’s eyes raise to mine over Rosie’s head. She squeezes her niece as tight as Rosie was holding the Glo Worm, and even though I’m not involved in the group hug, I feel like I am.
“Thank you,” Jaxi mouths to me.
I wink at her.
“I have another appointment I need to get to,” Shera says. “My office will be getting with you in the coming days about some procedural things. But if you could sign a few things for me, I would appreciate
