A home. That's all Delaney Taylor is looking for. Everyone wants a place to belong, especially someone who's been without one for so long.
Delaney is a strong-willed girl with a heart of gold who's been through more than she deserves.
From being pa...
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"Okay, come eat!" I yelled out from the kitchen of the group house. I held hands with Peyton and Maddy, helping them into their chairs for breakfast.
I listened to the chatter of each and every kid as they talked about their nights before. The clinking of silverware against their plates.
The smiles on their faces as they ate was enough to make everything worth it.
"Thank you, Laney," Peyton grinned up at me from her place at the table.
I returned the smile, feeling the happiness radiating off of her small body.
"Okay, munchkins. I need to go out for a while. But, I'll be back tomorrow, I promise," I spoke with a gentle smile so that nobody got upset. I didn't need any tantrums before I headed to the doctors.
"But-but.... I thought you no going to leave me," Peyton spoke dejectedly as huge tears rolled down her chubby cheeks. Her eyes looked sadly up at me, making the guilt intensify.
"I'm not leaving. I just need to go to the doctors today, sweetie," I explained.
I sat down between her and Maddy, holding both of their hands close to me while I spoke.
"I'm not going anywhere for too long. I'll always come back to you. You can count on me. Okay?" I asked gently, wiping the tears off of Maddy's cheek with my thumb. It was obvious she was scared of me leaving too, but was trying to look strong.
"I want you girls to be brave for me. Can you do that?" I asked confidently, knowing it would help calm them down.
"Yeah. We can," Maddy replied steadily.
Peyton automatically nodded her head in agreement with her big sister.
I gave them once last squeeze before making my way to the door.
I looked back, seeing the small girls holding each other tightly. They both watched me carefully. Hopefully.
I gave them a big smile and waved my hand at them. Then, I clipped Milo's leash back on and started the journey home to my car.
•••••••
My mind felt like it was going in about a million different directions. Everything was moving too quickly.
I thought over anything and everything as I drove to my appointment.
I hadn't even told Xavier I was doing this, because I knew he would feel guilty about him not being here with me for support through this.
