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Cody stepped right in to help her up on her good leg, then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the kitchen to the living room.
Alex followed.
Summer hung back with Miranda.
“Are you feeling better today?” Miranda went to the fridge and pulled out the fixings for sandwiches.
“I am. Thank you.”
“It made Nate feel good to be there for you. I’m glad what happened to you wasn’t serious. Though I bet it felt that way in the moment.”
“My migraines are no joke. Thank god for medication.”
“I haven’t seen Cody upset like that in a long time. I’m glad he and Natalie worked things out. Looks like you both did, too.”
“Natalie apologized this morning.”
“I don’t know what got into her.”
“She’s jealous.” Summer pointed out the obvious, knowing Miranda saw what Summer saw when it came to Natalie’s feelings about Cody. “But I hope in time Natalie will see that I’m not taking something away from her.”
Miranda nodded. “It’s a strange time, that transition from graduating high school and becoming an adult and starting the next phase of your life.”
“Exactly. The things you thought you wanted when you were young you see differently as your world expands.”
Miranda grinned. “Yes. I hope she sees all the possibilities ahead of her come the fall when she’s at a new place with new people.”
Away from Cody.
“I’m sure she will. But right now, she’s just trying to get through these last two weeks of school and a summer working at the company before she tackles the next new thing.”
Relief filled Miranda’s steady gaze. “Thank you for understanding that not everything comes easy for her.”
“This can’t be easy for you, either. I imagine you were just as shocked as everyone else to discover your husband had another daughter. You only had a couple of days to come to terms with it before I showed up and disrupted your lives.” Summer wondered exactly how Miranda felt about the entire situation. Miranda had been kind, but she’d been keeping her feelings very close.
Miranda gave a nervous laugh. “I thought after all these years of marriage Nate couldn’t surprise me with anything. Oh, sure, little things, but something like that...” Miranda shook her head and pulled out a loaf of bread. “I love him just as much today as when I fell in love with him all those years ago. So it was easy to sympathize and be angry on his behalf that your mother kept you from him. That wasn’t fair. He’s a good man. A good father.”
Summer appreciated the anger that backed up those words. “There is no excuse for what she did.”
“I think about what you’ve told us about her, your life, and I think,What a shame. This all could have been different if you’d been a part of his life all this time.”
“I’d have had a family. Well, one that looked like the one I always wanted.”
“You have it now.” Miranda said it like she meant it, but there was some hesitation, too.
“It kind of feels like I have to earn it, because I haven’t been a part of it all these years. Everyone has their spot. Everyone knows each other’s history. You all feel like a family.”
“It’s barely been a week. Give it time.”
“I am. I will.”
“Nate feels like he missed everything with you, so when we talkabout doing something for the girls now, it’s like another blow to his heart that he didn’t do anything for you along the way.”
“I appreciate the sentiment. I know he means it. And let’s face it, I’m an adult, fully capable of taking care of myself. It’s okay for things to be different between us because of that. I’ll remind him of that when I see him next.”
“Maybe that will ease his guilt.”
“I hope so.”
