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Her comment pulls my attention away from the puzzle spread across the coffee table. I look over at her where she's sitting cross-legged on the rug beside Daisy.
“How do you feel about that?”
She shrugs. The motion looks uncertain. “I don't know.”
The answer doesn't surprise me. Neither does the sadness behind it.
I move from the sofa to the floor beside her, gathering my legs beneath me. “I thought you might like the little break.”
“I did.” Her fingers continue moving through Daisy's fur. Then her voice gets lower. “But I miss my friends.”
The sadness in her voice tugs at my heart. She keeps her attention on Daisy while her fingers move through her fur, avoiding my eyes as though admitting it makes it more real.
“Yeah?”
She nods. “And dance class.”
My chest aches because I know exactly what she's really saying. She misses normal. She misses the version of life that existed before they tried to take her. Before fear became part of her daily routine.
I tuck a curl behind her ear. “It’s okay to feel like that.”
Her eyes stay glued to Daisy. “What if somebody comes again?”
I take a slow breath before answering because there aren't any perfect words for a fear like that.
“I think that's a pretty understandable thing to worry about.”
Her eyes lift to mine. “But Papa has lots of security.”
“He does.”
She chews on her lip before she says, “But I’m still scared.”
“I get scared too,” I tell her.
Her forehead wrinkles immediately. “You do?”
Children sometimes forget that adults get scared, too, maybe because we spend so much time pretending otherwise.
I reach for her hand. “Very scared.”
Ivy considers that. The wheels turn visibly inside her head. Then she asks a question I didn't expect.
“But you saved me. Were you brave?”
I don't even have to think about it. “No.”
Her eyes widen. “No?”
I give her a small smile. “I was terrified.”
That earns a confused look. “But you still saved me.”
“And there you go.”
Understanding slowly shines in her eyes.
I squeeze her hand gently. “Being brave doesn't mean you aren't scared. It means you're scared and you do what needs doin’ anyway.”
