Sierra stared out the back window. “What a cute little patio. I love how you hung the lights and wrapped them around the tree. It gives the garden you planted out there a magical feel.”
“I want Hallee to have a place that feels warm and inviting and fun at the same time, where she can touch things and run around without worrying that she’ll break something. And if she does”—Heather shrugged one shoulder—“so what. She’s missing something in her life, but my hope is that she’ll always feel at home here and know she’s loved.”
Sierra’s eyes went soft. “Isn’t there any chance that her father will be a part of her life?”
“No.” Heather’s heart broke for her daughter. She deserved to have a wonderful father in her life. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Heather had been selfish, threw caution out the door, took what she wanted, and her daughter paid the price.
At one time, Heather thought it would work out in some way, but no.
So she’d take the secret of who fathered her child to the grave. She still didn’t know what she’d say to Hallee when she grew up and asked about her dad. Right now, it was easy to distract her when she pointed at her preschool friends’ dads and said, “Dada.”
“Maybe he’ll change his mind.”
She appreciated Sierra’s optimism, but some things were absolute. “I thought there was a chance for us once. But . . .” She shrugged, not wanting to think about the mess she’d made and how it ended.
Sierra rubbed her hand up and down Heather’s arm. “I’m sorry. It can’t be easy to raise her on your own. But from what I see, you’ve made a great home for her. She’s got you and all of us to love her.”
Choked up, Heather swallowed the emotions clogging her throat. “That means a lot.” More than her sister knew.
“What smells so amazing?” Sierra inhaled the garlic and tomato sauce smells filling the kitchen, then sighed in pure appreciation.
Heather chuckled. “I call them meatloaf balls.” She lifted the lid on the frying pan on the stove and revealed the meatballs simmering in sauce. “I hope the kids like them.”
“They look fantastic.”
“I’ll serve them over rice, if the kids want, with broccoli on the side.”
“We’ll let them decide. And look at you with the healthy meals, veggies and all. I remember a time when you ate pizza just about every night.”
“I worked at a pizza place. Who wouldn’t eat pizza all the time when it’s free?” Heather picked up the open bottle of wine and poured for Sierra, then herself. She set the bottle down and held her glass up to Sierra. “I’m really happy you’re home.”
Sierra clinked glasses with her, took a sip, then narrowed her eyes. “I didn’t think you were thrilled about me moving back.”
“I was just surprised you’d want to stay when you and David had made your life up in Napa. Is it true? You really did want to come back sooner, but David wanted to stay up there?”
Sierra lifted one shoulder and let it drop. “I missed you guys. I wanted all our kids to grow up together. He considered moving back, but then he said he couldn’t do it. He loved his job and thought we had a good life up there and he didn’t want to change that.”
Heather took a bigger sip of wine. “Well, you’re here now, and you’ve got a great new job.”
“It’s an amazing opportunity. And the money is great. More than I was making at my old job.” Sierra glanced around the house. “I can’t afford to buy anything just yet, but I’d love a cute little place like this for me and the boys.”
“With two of them, you’ll need another room. I’m sure once you get your settlement, you’ll be able to get something.”
“I don’t know about that. I was barely getting by. The fire wiped out what little I had in savings paying for motel rooms and basic necessities. I’ll get the settlement for the contents of the house, which will help, but the mortgage doesn’t go away. And I’ve got a huge personal loan to pay off.”
“Really?” That concerned Heather.
Sierra waved it away. “I’ll figure it out. The fire is still so fresh in my mind. The loss. If I hadn’t found this job so soon, I don’t know what I would have done. Mom has been so great, letting us move in until I can figure out what to do next. It’s just so overwhelming.”
“I always thought you and David were doing really well.” Heather had no idea they’d taken out a big loan. “I wish I could help, but I sunk all my money and then some into this place. My job covers costs and day care and a little extra, but Hallee and I . . . well, we’ve got what we need.”
“I totally get it. Like I said, the insurance will help, but rebuilding isn’t an option for me. I need to move on.”
“It must be hard to know that the house you and David shared is gone. All those memories.”
“I still have the memories. But there’s nothing left that I want to go back to. David’s been gone almost a year and it’s time to settle into my life without him.”
The optimistic tone surprised Heather. “Are you thinking about dating again?”
“It’s been a long time since I went on a date. It’s kind of scary. But also . . . I don’t know . . . maybe it’s time. I don’t want to dedicate everything to raising the boys and miss out having someone in my life to share it with. I’m sure, just like me, you get lonely sometimes.”
“It’s been especially hard this past year, watching Hallee grow so fast and do so many new things.” Heather nodded. “I want to share it with her father, but I can’t, so yeah, having a partner, someone special, in my life would be great.” She thought about her encounter with Mason at the mailbox. A sexy lawyer would do fine. Someone stable. Someone available and open to a relationship that could potentially turn into a lifetime of memories.
She loved being a mother. She’d love to have another baby.
Mason had never had a family. Maybe he’d like to be a father.
“You’re thinking about someone,” Sierra teased.
Since Sierra knew Mason, Heather didn’t want to give away her secret thoughts. “I’ve just recently been reacquainted with someone and . . . I don’t know. Maybe there could be something there.”
Sierra held her glass up. “Go for it, sis. Life is too short.”
Heather clinked it again. “Yes. It is. In the blink of an eye, you can lose everything. Why wait to have what you want.”
“Here, here.” Sierra took a sip, then glanced in the living room where Hallee let out a big belly laugh as Oliver held up a puppet and made fart noises. “Boys.” Sierra shook her head, but a smile tugged at her lips.
Heather soaked up the scene with the boys entertaining Hallee. “This is nice.”
Sierra met her gaze. “Yeah. It is. I’m glad you invited us.”
“I hope we get to do this a lot more often. I’d like Hallee to really get to know Danny and Oliver.”
“Me, too. We better feed them.”
Heather, caught up in the moment and her emotions having Sierra and the boys in her home, impulsively hugged Sierra.