Eventually, it was time to get ready for the funeral. Sienna slipped into a black skirt and dark red blouse, curling her hair to fall around her shoulders. She lightly dusted on makeup, then gave her family a kiss and left, borrowing her father’s car for the drive.
Her stomach clenched into knots when she pulled into the church parking lot. Even after two years, she still got anxious when attending Peterson family events. Nana had always been the one to help her feel better. Sienna blinked back tears and got out of the car. She recognized one of Kyra’s cousins and waved.
Sienna followed the trail of people into the church. The viewing had only started a few minutes earlier, but already the room teemed with people.
She wished she could text Aaron and tell him how nervous she was. He was so gentle and understanding. But for him to understand, she’d have to explain. And she wasn’t ready for that.
Kyra’s sister came over to give Sienna a hug. They chatted for a moment, and she felt herself relax. These were good people who accepted her. She needed to stop feeling so awkward around them.
She found Kyra near the front of the room, sitting in a chair with Hunter on her lap. Her chestnut hair had fallen out of the clip holding it back and now hid much of her expression. Her face was close to Hunter’s, and she must have whispered something because he started to giggle and snuggled closer to his mom.
Sienna’s heart twisted. It never got easier seeing the two of them together. She loved watching Kyra be a mom. Loved watching the close relationship she shared with Hunter. But it was hard, too. Pastor Tanner had cautioned Sienna many times to not ask “what could’ve been?” but sometimes it was impossible not to.
If she’d kept Hunter, she’d be waiting tables at Denny’s in between night classes. He’d be raised by babysitters. This was best for everyone involved.
Sienna straightened her back and walked over to Kyra and Hunter. “Hey,” she said softly.
Hunter popped off his mom’s lap, wrapping his arms around Sienna’s legs. “Aunt Sina!”
Sienna bent down, lifting Hunter into her arms. “Hey, buddy.” She hugged him tight, relishing the feel of his arms around her neck, and gave him a solid kiss on the forehead. “I missed you.”
Hunter giggled. “Miss you.”
Kyra rose, giving Sienna a hug. “Thank you so much for coming.”
“Of course. How are you doing?”
“I’ll be okay. It’s been hard, but we know she’s in a better place.”
“Hey!” Hunter’s chubby hands grabbed Sienna’s cheeks. “I talking.”
Sienna laughed. “Okay. What are we talking about?”
Hunter pointed. “Nana bye-bye.”
Sienna hugged Hunter close. “Yes. I’m so sorry.”
“Have you had a chance to say goodbye to Nana?” Kyra asked.
“Not yet, but I will. Kyra, why don’t you let me take the kids during the funeral? You shouldn’t have to worry about keeping them quiet.”
“Thanks for the offer, but they’ll be fine.” She placed a hand gently on Sienna’s shoulder. “If you’d sit with us during the service in case we need help with them, we’d appreciate it. You’re part of the family.”
Sienna nodded, her throat tightening. She had been so lucky to pick Kyra and David. Hunter was so blessed. Sienna had heard horror stories from other birth moms about promises the adoptive parents broke after the adoption was finalized. Some of those birth moms didn’t even know where their child was today. Sienna had been terrified that once the judge signed the paperwork and everything was legal, Kyra and David would cut her out of Hunter’s life. But they’d stayed true to their word, and Sienna would always be grateful to them for that.
She thought of Aaron, completely cut off from his birth family, and for the first time considered the other side of the equation. She hoped he’d find his birth mother soon so he could resolve some of his issues. Maybe then they could move their relationship forward.
“Aunt Sienna!” Sophie launched herself at Sienna.
Sienna shifted Hunter to one hip and wrapped her free arm around Sophie. “Hey, cutie. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” Sophie scrunched her face up. “Did you come because Nana died?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry.”
“That’s okay. Mommy said we can get ice cream if we’re good today.”
“That sounds like fun,” Sienna said.
David wove his way through the crowd, and Sienna gave him a quick hug.
“We’ll have the family prayer in about five minutes,” someone at the front announced. “It’s time to say your last goodbyes.”
Sophie placed her tiny hand in Sienna’s, tugging her toward the front of the room. “Come see Nana.”
Sienna let Sophie lead her to the casket, Hunter still perched on one hip. Nana’s wrinkled face was serene, her hands placed delicately over her chest. Sienna blinked, and tears cascaded down her cheeks. She leaned down, brushing Nana’s cold cheek in a final kiss.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
The service was very nice, at least what Sienna heard of it. She tried her best to keep Hunter and Sophie quiet and entertained so that Kyra and David could focus on the funeral. After the service, she followed Kyra and David to the cemetery, where they dedicated the grave and said their final goodbyes.
“Some of our neighbors are providing a luncheon back at the church,” Kyra said as everyone left. “Please come.”
“I’m bored, Mommy.” Sophie tugged on Kyra’s hand. “I don’t want to go back to the church.”
Hunter laid his head on Kyra’s shoulder, crying.
“He didn’t get his nap,” Kyra said. “He’s so tired.”
“Why don’t you let me take them to my house?” Sienna offered. “That way you and David can get a break and enjoy the luncheon in peace. I’ll try and get Hunter to take a nap so he isn’t so cranky.”
“I want to go to Grandma Anabelle’s,” Sophie said, hopping from foot to foot. “I want to play with Conner and Cameron. Please, Mom?”
Kyra looked at David.
“Are you sure?” David asked.
Sienna nodded. “My family really wants to see the kids, and you two look exhausted.”
“Thank you,” Kyra said. “That would be great.”
David fished keys out of his pocket. “It’s probably easiest if we just switch cars.”
“Sure.” Sienna pulled out her dad’s car keys and handed them to David, taking his in exchange. “You two take as much time as you need. I don’t have anything else to do today, and I want to spend time with them.”
Kyra and David leaned down, giving the kids hugs.
“You two obey Aunt Sienna,” Kyra said. “Thanks so much. This is a huge help.”
“No problem,” Sienna said.
“Diaper bag’s in the car. We’ll pick them up before bedtime.”
“If you can’t make it back by then, don’t worry—I’ll handle it. You should be with your family right now.”
Kyra gave Sienna a tight hug. “I don’t know what we’d do without you. You continue to be an angel in our lives.”
“The feeling is mutual.” She took Sophie in one hand and Hunter in the other. “Come on, guys. Let’s go see Grandma Anabelle.”
Hunter was asleep by the time Sienna pulled into her parents’ driveway. Her mom was out the front door before Sienna could even turn off the van.
“You brought them,” she said, joy evident in her tone.
Sophie launched herself from the car. “Grandma!”
Anabelle gave Sophie a tight hug. “Where’s Hunter?”
“He fell asleep,” Sophie said. “Where’s Cameron and Connor?”
“In the backyard with Grandpa Sam. Want to go play with them?”
Sophie let out a whoop. “Yes! Can we play in the sandbox?”
“Sure,” Annabelle said.
Sienna gently lifted Hunter onto her shoulder, careful not to wake him. Anabelle grabbed the diaper bag a
nd led them into the house. “How long are they staying?”
“I told Kyra and David I’d watch them for the rest of the day so they could visit in peace and quiet.”
Anabelle placed a soft kiss on Hunter’s forehead. “I’m so glad. You can lay Hunter down on the spare bed if you want.”
Sienna shook her head, tightening her hold on Hunter. “He’s had a rough day. I think I’ll just hold him while he sleeps.”
Anabelle nodded in understanding.
Outside, Connor and Cameron raced out of the sandbox to say hi. Sienna sank into a patio chair while Sophie ran off to play.
Anabelle sat down next to Sienna, kissing Hunter on the head again. “He looks bigger.”
“I know.” Sienna swallowed. “It’s only been just over a month since I saw him, and already I swear he’s grown.”
“It’s hard to be so far away.”
Sienna nodded. “But it’s hard to be close, too.”
Sienna watched Sophie play with her brothers for nearly an hour before Hunter woke up, and they all joined in the fun. Her heart soared as she chased Hunter around the yard, tickling him and tossing him in the air. They played with dump trucks in the sandbox, and she pushed him on the swings while Sophie and the twins raced down the slide.
Sienna was just helping her mom clean up a dinner of chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese when the phone rang.
“Hey, Sienna,” Kyra said. “How are the kids?”
“They’re doing great. We’ve been playing outside most of the day and just finished eating dinner. Hunter slept for about an hour, but I think they’re both tired again.”
Hunter grinned, his face covered in cheese sauce. Sienna winked at him.
“Thank you so much. We’re just leaving the church, so we’ll be there soon.”
“Oh.” Sienna tried to hide the disappointment. Kyra and David were so generous with Hunter’s time, but it was never enough. “Okay. I’ll have them ready to go when you get here.”
Sienna cleaned up the kids and instructed Sophie to say her goodbyes to the twins. They’d barely finished when the doorbell rang.
“Mommy,” Sophie exclaimed, racing toward the front door. Sienna followed, going at a much slower pace to accommodate Hunter’s shorter legs.
“Hey, baby girl,” Kyra said, hugging Sophie. “Did you have fun with Aunt Sienna?”
“So much fun.” Sophie launched into a long explanation of the afternoon’s activities. Sienna picked up Hunter, relishing their last few moments together.
“Uh.” Hunter leaned forward, straining for Kyra.
Sienna’s heart cracked. She wasn’t Hunter’s mother. Not really. Kyra was who he wanted when he was tired or upset.
Kyra took Hunter, giving Sienna a sympathetic glance.
“Thank you so much for watching them,” David said.
“Yes,” Kyra interjected. “It was so nice to visit with the family and not have to worry about these two.”
“Will we get to see you again before you leave?” David asked.
Sienna shook her head regretfully. “I have to leave for the airport around two tomorrow.”
“Darn,” Kyra said. “We were hoping you could come over for dinner, but there won’t be enough time after church.”
“Maybe next time,” Sienna said.
“What about breakfast? We feel like we’ve barely gotten to see you.”
“Okay,” Sienna agreed. She’d get to see Hunter one more time before leaving, and that was worth waking up at any hour. “Breakfast.”
“Is eight o’clock okay?”
“That’s perfect. Thank you.”
“Can you tell Aunt Sienna bye-bye?” Kyra asked.
Hunter looked like he’d refuse, but at the last moment reached his hands toward Sienna. She cradled him against her, tears burning in her eyes as she reluctantly kissed the top of his head. “See you in the morning.”
He nodded solemnly.
Sienna gave him one last squeeze. “I love you, buddy.”
“Wuv you,” Hunter echoed.
Sienna stood on the front porch, watching as the little family drove away, taking a piece of her heart with them.
Her mom’s arm wrapped around Sienna’s waist.
“Are you okay?” Anabelle asked.
Sienna took a deep breath and nodded. “It helps to see him so happy. They invited me over for breakfast, so I’ll see him one more time before leaving.”
“They’re great parents. They’ve been so good to you, and to us. We’re more involved in Hunter’s life than I ever let myself dream we could be.”
“Yeah,” Sienna agreed. Her phone started ringing, and she fished it from her pocket.
“Which boyfriend is that?” Anabelle asked, her tone teasing.
“Stop it.” But Sienna couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face when she saw Aaron’s name on the display screen. She immediately answered the call. “Hi.”
“Sienna McBride.” His deep baritone made her shiver. “I miss you.”
Sienna turned away from her mom, who fluttered her eyelashes dramatically. In her room, she lay down on her bed.
“I’ve missed you, too.” More than she’d thought she would. They’d known each other such a short time, but already she couldn’t imagine her life without him.
Maybe she shouldn’t have said yes to another date with Jared. Suddenly, it felt wrong to go out with him again. Unfair. All the kindness in the world didn’t make up for a lack of chemistry.
“How was the funeral?” Aaron asked.
Sienna gave him a brief summary of the program. “Then I watched Sophie and Hunter for the rest of the afternoon so Kyra and David could have a break. It was so good to just play together.”
“You must be really close to them.”
He had no idea. “We had a lot of fun. We built a castle in the sandbox and pretended to be astronauts flying to the moon on the swings.”
Aaron chuckled, the sound sending shivers of pleasure up her spine. “You sound like a fun babysitter.”
“I try to be. Enough about me, though. How was your day?”
“Uneventful without you. I went to the activity at church and missed you the whole time.”
Sienna pumped a fist into the air in a silent yes. “Anything exciting happen at the activity?”
“Benton Jorgensen asked Annie Baker out, and Mindy Cooper ran out of the room in tears.”
Sienna let out a sympathetic groan. “That poor girl. She’s been head-over-heels for him for a year.”
“Poor Mindy? Poor Ben! He had no idea what was going on. Annie pouted the rest of the night because she thinks Ben and Mindy had a fling. Looks like maybe he’s going to lose both girls.”
Sienna needed to decide between Jared and Aaron soon, or she might end up like Benton.
Okay, okay. She needed to tell Jared she couldn’t date him anymore. A few days apart had given her the clarity she needed. No matter how nice Jared was, he couldn’t be the guy for her. Not when just talking to Aaron had her floating on clouds.
“No one went after Mindy, so of course I had to,” Aaron said.
Sienna rolled onto her stomach and started giggling. “You didn’t.”
“I shouldn’t have, that’s for sure. But I felt bad for her.”
“What happened?”
“I’m pretty sure she tried to kiss me.”
The laughter exploded out of Sienna. “How can you be pretty sure?”
“I mumbled that I had to go, and when I stood up, she practically face-planted on the sofa in the foyer.”
“Stop. I can’t breathe.” Tears of mirth leaked out of the corners of Sienna’s eyes.
“Promise me that I’ll never have to attend another church activity without you.” His tone was still light and teasing—typical Aaron—but she heard the hidden meaning in his words. He’d mentioned wanting to talk when she got back, and she had an idea what he was going to say.
The time for dating both men was up.
Sienna took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she said, “I promise.”
“Breakfast was great,” Sienna told Kyra as she helped bring dishes from the table to the sink. “I didn’t expect you to make waffles. I would’ve been fine with cereal.”
Kyra laughed. “I know, but that’s probably what you live off of at school. I wanted to make something extra yummy.”
“Well, you succeeded.”
Kyra put a dish on the drying rack and turned to face Sienna. “David and I wanted to let you know what’s happening. Dane sent a letter through the agency, and we wrote back telling him he could call us. I don’t know if he’s gotten our letter yet.”
Sienna shut the dishwasher and gave Kyra her full attention. She had half-believed Dane wouldn’t go through with it. “What did he say?”
“Basically the same thing he told you—he made a mistake, and he wants to meet Hunter and be a part of his life.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“That we still need to think about it.” Kyra folded her arms and sighed. “We’ve really taken what you’ve said into consideration, and we don’t want to do anything that will make our relationship with you uncomfortable or strained. We all love you so much. Hunter and Sophie would be devastated if we stopped having such frequent contact.”
“I’m happy with how much I get to see them right now,” Sienna said quickly. “The only way that will change is if you ask me to back off.” She wasn’t about to let Dane chase her away. It would be uncomfortable if they started running into each other. But she would deal with it.
“We’re happy with the status quo, too. And we feel like if we let Dane into our lives, that would change. He might not be consistent, and we can’t allow him to just come and go from Hunter’s life as he pleases.”
Sienna was glad to hear it, but she heard the unspoken “but” at the end of that sentence. “You’re wondering if you’re making the right decision,” Sienna said.
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