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T H I R T Y S I X
Two Years Later
"Maia, what are you looking for in the kitchen? You can't possibly be hungry again. I made you pancakes not even an hour ago." I inquired from my spot on the couch, hearing noises coming from the kitchen.
The girl was five years old but ate like a teenage boy. Which I must admit she took the ability to eat like that from me, something I'm grateful for because we have avoided picky eater phases so far.
Two curly hair space buns appeared in front of me, blocking my view of Gilmore Girls on the TV, followed by my daughter shoving a cold juice box in my face. "It will make you feel better. It helps me when I'm sick."
I smiled, taking the juice from her and setting it on the coffee table. "Thank you, bug. Now, you know what actually will help mommy feel better?" Maia shook her head, eagerly waiting for me to tell her. "If you would come here and lay with me." I raised the blanket I had over my legs and patted the space next to me.
Without telling her twice, she climbed on the sofa and cuddled up with me under the blanket.
Every time I looked at the little girl in front of me, I couldn't help but think of the day I helped bring her into this world. What happened to Lizzie broke my heart, but if that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have seen Maia grow into the beautiful and intelligent girl she had grown into.
I'm also grateful that Liam respected the fact that Evan and I adopted her, even though he had every right to try to fight for her considering he is the birth father and the system messed up by not digging harder when it came to contacting every possible person that Lizzie had some sort of relationship with.
As Maia has grown older, she's shown how much of a troublemaker she will be in a couple of years. Three days ago, she almost made her father go into cardiac arrest when she told him during bedtime that there was a boy at her daycare that was going to be her husband. The comment made Evan stay up all night, unable to process that it was just some silly preschool crush. He hasn't even let me send her back to daycare since that day.
"Momma, do you think auntie Jose watches us from heaven?" Maia asked, turning her head slightly to look at my face.
Taken aback by the question, I stayed quiet for a second, processing her words before I smiled, kissing her forehead. "Yes. I believe she watches over us every single day."
After reuniting with Jose's parents two years ago, they have been back in my life ever since.
The day I presented Maia to them, Jose's mom couldn't stop crying. I know she was emotional that I was now a mom, but part of me knew deep down that she was crying over the fact that her daughter got robbed from experiencing a stage in life she wanted to have badly someday.
