Page 29 of Fractured Grief (Hope’s Ridge #2)

Indy

I couldn’t believe I’d told him.

I’d never spoken those words out loud. I wished she were biologically mine, but that was not possible.

I loved her more than life itself, and I wished more than anything that Lex was here with us.

To be in her life, watch Haze grow, and meet Seb.

She would’ve loved Seb. She would have been so happy for me.

I nuzzled my nose into Hazel’s curls, needing to immerse myself in her scent. She was my world. All I’d done since I knew of her existence had been to plan and provide for her and Lex. We’d been a team.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Seb’s hand ran along my cheek where silent tears fell.

“Please don’t tell anyone,” I whispered.

“I won’t,” he paused, his gaze assessing. “Blood isn’t everything, you know that, right? ”

I glanced at him from under my lashes. How did this mountain of a man worm his way into my heart? He’d broken down walls I didn’t even know I had. He made me feel confident and free in a way I’d never felt.

“Yeah, I know. Thanks, Seb... for everything, ” I swallow around the emotion clogging my throat.

“I’m happy to be able to help. I like taking care of you,” his green eyes blazed with sincerity.

We sat in silence while the drip did its work. Seb kept holding my hand.

By the time Doc came in to unhook the IV, I was already feeling so much better.

He gave me a script for oral antibiotics and was going through my aftercare instructions when Lyric burst into the room with Seb’s Mom close behind.

“Oh, Indy, you poor dear,” she came bustling over to me, placing her hand on my forehead.

“Ma, leave him be. Doc’s got it under control,” Seb stammered.

“You know she can’t help but mother,” Lyric said, sending me a commiserating smile. “There’s no stopping her.”

“Behave, you two. You’re not too old or big for me to discipline,” she spoke so seriously; it was kind of impressive.

Lyric held up his hands in surrender. “I know, Ma, but maybe Indy isn’t used to such s mothering .” The mischievous smirk he sent my way let me know he was teasing.

Although he wasn’t wrong, my mom was nothing like Seb’s .

She was a slight woman compared to her sons. Slim, with tanned skin and a mess of brunette curls in a bun on top of her head. She wore a colorful sundress, with leggings and a matching cardigan. She always looked so put together, and today was no exception.

“Hello again, Mrs. Papadakis,” I said by way of greeting, getting a little overwhelmed by all the attention.

“None of that Mrs. stuff. You can call me Kat or Ma. I look forward to getting to know you outside of your PT role now that my Seb is so smitten with you.”

“Ma!” The blush that bloomed over Seb’s face was so cute.

This family was something else. Boisterous, compassionate, and caring. You could feel the love between each of them, even as they teased and sassed each other.

“Anyway. I have a few sets of clothes for your little sweetheart here and a new toothbrush, pajamas, and a few coloring books.” She gazed lovingly at my daughter.

Hazel took that moment to stir and wake up. Rubbing her eyes, she saw Kat and huddled into me, hiding her face over my shoulder.

“It’s okay, sweetie. This is Kat. She’s Seb and Lyric’s mom,” I spoke gently, trying to shift her so she could face the group and become part of the conversation. “She has some stuff for you. We’re going to have a sleepover at Seb’s house. How’s that sound?”

“A sleepover?” She leaned back and cautiously looked between Seb and me. “Can we watch movies and have popcorn? I’ve never had a sleepover before. ”

“We’ll see. It’s already late and Daddy’s pretty tired.”

“What about just one movie before bed? Pleeease, Daddy?”

Seb chuckled. “Is she always like this?” he asked.

“Pretty much. Butter wouldn’t melt.” The smile we shared was heated and held so much, turning back to Kat. “Thank you so much. How much do I owe you?”

“Don’t be silly. This is what we do for family,” she spoke like it was nothing, but those words hit me square in the chest. Family .

Lexi and I had longed to build and grow our family.

Make friends, find love, find others we could share our new lives with.

And here Kat, Seb, and Lyric were, offering me what I’d always wanted so freely.

My eyes welled as I croaked out my thanks, yet again. This family kept hitting my emotional core. I was so thankful I was assigned to Seb all those weeks ago.

Once Kat left, we quickly finished up at Doc’s office, and Lyric drove us back to the house. Haze was a little unsure when we pulled up.

“Your house is huge,” she said. “You even have a backyard! That’s so cool.

” She shot out of the car, ready to explore even though the sky was dark.

“Do you have a swing set, play equipment, or a treehouse? You should have a treehouse. That would be the best!” She was talking a mile a minute as we walked to the front door.

“Unfortunately, no, I don’t have any of those. But a treehouse would be pretty cool,” Seb beamed at my daughter .

“A treehouse would be so cool,” Lyric exclaimed, bringing up the rear and helping carry the bags Kat had given me. Hazel would be set for a week.

Seb led the way inside, using his cane, with Hazel chatting away about treehouses and our movie nights. My stomach filled with so much warmth at the sight of this giant man talking and laughing with my daughter.

If I thought Seb and I had a huge size difference, it was nothing in the way Seb dwarfed my little girl. She barely made it to his waist, but the way she grinned up at him as they chatted warmed my heart.

Once inside, I made my way to the couch and flopped down. I was exhausted. Hazel and Seb quickly joined me, with Lyric coming back from Seb’s room after dropping off the bags.

“How about I run out and get some food from the restaurant?” Lyric said. “What does the little one like?”

“Restaurant? What restaurant?” I asked, glancing at Seb and Lyric.

“Oh, it’s our family restaurant, Elpízo,” Lyric answered. “It means Hope in Greek. It seemed fitting when Yaya moved over with my Pa and his brothers from Cyprus back in the sixties and settled in Hope’s Ridge.”

“Wow. So, your family has been here for ages. Does that mean you’ve all worked at the restaurant at some point over the years? I don’t think I’ve ever had Greek food. What’s it like?”

“Oh my God, it’s delicious,” Lyric exclaimed. “You have to try the Moussaka, and the lemon potatoes are amazing. But then there’s souvlaki and keftedes and loukomadies and baklava.”

“Woah, slow down, Lyric,” Seb cut in. “Indy probably doesn’t know what any of those are.” He smiled at me in understanding at the look on my face.

I quickly shook my head. “No idea what most of those are. Except baklava, I’ve heard of that.”

“Sorry,” Lyric looked a little sheepish. “It’s all such great food, and most is cooked by Ma or Yaya or someone related to us. I can’t wait for you to try it.”

“How about this? Is there anything you don’t eat or can’t?” Seb asked.

“No, I eat everything…” I paused to glance at Hazel. “Although if there’s something simple for Haze, like fries and nuggets or something a bit plain, that would be great. She has some sensory issues with food.”

“I’ll get a spread, and she could choose some things that look good. Would that work?” Lyric asked.

“Yeah, that could work,” I smiled at Lyric. “Thanks so much for your help today.”

Lyric looked taken aback by my thanks. “You don’t need to thank me. I didn’t do anything.” He rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. “I’ll go grab the food.” And with that, he rushed out the door.

“He’s funny,” Haze said, making both Seb and me laugh.

“You have no idea. My brother is one of a kind,” Seb said, more to Hazel than me. “So, what movie should we watch tonight, if your dad says it’s okay? ”

“Oh! There are so many. Who’s your favorite princess?

Or do you like The Lion King? Did you know there’s a whole series with Timone and Pumba in it?

Or we could watch a people movie. Do you have Matilda?

” Hazel rushed through the words as she grew increasingly excited about all the movies she wanted to show Seb.

“I have a few streaming channels, so you can pick anything you want,” Seb paused. “How about this? Who’s your favorite princess, and we can watch her movie.”

“Really? That’s Rapunzel! Do you have Tangled? Have you seen it? It’s so good. I know all the songs. Mommy and I are the Rapunzel twins, and we always sing along to all the songs.”

My heart broke a little at the idea that Hazel would never have that again, but I loved that she was sharing it with Seb. We’d watched Tangled a few times since losing Lexi, but she didn’t sing along anymore. I wondered if she might this time.

“That sounds like a beautiful memory with your mom. I haven’t seen it, but I’m looking forward to it.

” The soft way Seb gazed at Hazel made my heart grow three sizes.

He looked at her with such love and compassion.

There was something special about seeing Hazel bond with the guy I liked that did funny things to my insides.

“How about we get the table ready for the food, and we can put it on.” He looked at me then, and I nodded, knowing that now Tangled was mentioned, there was no getting out of it.