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“The lightness in your voice,” she answered. When I remained silent, she added, “From the moment you told me it was one of the best weeks of your life, I could hear it. I could hear just how much things have changed for you, and I think that change happened in the best way possible. Like I said, I’m sure this family is lucky and grateful to have you, but honestly, I’m so glad you have them.”
It was with those words that I felt my emotions clog my throat.
She was right.
In just one week—plus the two days I’d been there with Robin the week prior—the Huntington family had changed my life. I’d been motivated, excited, and happy.
And I might have ruined all of that yesterday. It seemed impossible that I’d feel so devastated after such a short time, but maybe that was just it.
The reason I was so devastated now might have been because I’d gone for so long without feeling any sense of joyfulness that I hadn’t realized how much I’d been missing it. Now that I’d gotten a small taste of it, I didn’t want to give it up. I’d waited months to feel that, and it wasn’t fair I had to possibly give it up already.
“I’m happy they found me, too,” I rasped.
Maybe I wasn’t giving my sister the full truth, but I wasn’t lying to her, either.
“The last thing I want to do is bring you down after allof that, but I do have one other thing I want to talk to you about,” Jolene said.
Graham.
I knew she was going to want to talk about it.
I understood her trepidation, but considering the conversation about the Huntington family had the power to pull me right back into a dark place, I figured it was wise to talk to her about the man who was supposed to become her brother-in-law.
“What do you want to know about Graham?” I asked.
“Well, I was just wondering if you’ve heard anything since you took the video to the police.”
“Not yet. Or, at least, nothing worthy of reporting. I did reach out earlier in the week to see if they had any updates yet, but there wasn’t anything new,” I shared. “At this point, I think it’s going to be a waiting game for me, but it’s hard. I know you said I sound happier, and I’ll be honest and admit that I am ever since I started working as Rhys’s nanny, but when I come home at night, all alone, my thoughts run wild. I just want answers. I know Graham’s never coming back, and I know I’ll never get to hug him or have him hold me again, but I still want to know what really happened to him.”
“I wish I could fix this for you. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to take this pain from you.”
“I know. I love you for it,” I replied.
And I did.
Because I knew Jolene wasn’t kidding. Though I had so many moments of darkness and despair over the last several months, there was no question I had an abundance of love and support from my mom, my sister, and Tabitha.
So, I expected nothing less than what I just got from Jolene now. She meant every word of what she was saying,and somehow, as she quickly reminded me of just how much she loved me, she did it by giving me words that wrapped around me like a warm hug.
On thoughts of a hug, my mind quickly flashed back to yesterday when Banks had wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close, holding me near while he had his baby in the other arm.
It felt so good.
No.
No, I had to stop this.
I couldn’t sit here and continue thinking about a married man, a man who wasn’t Graham, and how good it felt to be held close to him in a warm and comforting embrace.
Redirecting my focus, I added, “I really wish this was something simple for them to investigate, but sadly, I have this feeling it’s going to be one of those things that takes time. It’s just so frustrating to have to wait for some answers.”
“You know you have me here for you while you wait,” she offered.
“I know. So, tell me how my favorite niece is doing. What’s Ruby been up to since we last spoke?”
“You mean, other than waking me up at some ungodly hour in the morning?” Jolene countered.
“Yes. Other than that.”
