“Belle!” Sophie ran to her dog with open arms while Belle frolicked to greet her, tail beating a breakneck rhythm, the limp from last summer’s gunshot wound the only thing slowing her down.
By this time, Sophie was down in the grass, cooing to Belle as she hugged her and making Cole feel like chopped liver. “Hey, Sophie-bug, you got a hug for your poor old dad?”
Sophie giggled as she stood and turned toward Cole, her brown eyes lit and her freckled cheeks bunched in a grin. Nine years old and she could make his heart melt with one smile. He hated to think about her growing into a more reserved teenager, but he supposed that would happen someday. He gathered her into his arms for a hug, sweeping her off her feet and then setting her back on the ground near Bruno, who was prancing around with an open-mouthed, tongue-lolling grin of his own. He was just as smitten with Sophie as Belle.
Sophie gave him his due, spreading her hugs around freely. “Bruno, you big old boy! How ya been?”
Speaking of reserved teens, sixteen-year-old Angela had stepped out of the car and was observing Sophie’s homecoming with a pleased expression. Cole registered the look and thought how much his eldest had matured this past year. Before, she’d picked on her younger sister at every turn, and now she’d adopted an almost maternal relationship with her. He didn’t know if that was good or bad. Was it a normal part of her getting older, or a residual from Sophie’s kidnapping? He hoped for the former.
“Glad you’re home, Angel,” he said as he approached her for a hug. She gave him a peck on his cheek, which told him he must be in her good graces—at least for the moment. Angela was tall and willowy and had the white-blond hair and blue eyes of her mother. Dark circles under her eyes spoke to the stress she’d been under. He drew her up against his side and held her close while he leaned forward to wave at his sister through the open door. “Hey, Jessie. How was the trip down?”
“Uneventful.” Jessie was gathering up her cell phone and her glasses case and putting them into her handbag, a large turquoise-leather affair that looked like it held everything but the kitchen sink. His kid sister, who’d once been a rugged tomboy, had the appearance of the attorney she was, her light-brown hair highlighted and cut into a wispy style. “Did you already eat dinner?”
It was well after ten o’clock, so her question surprised him. “I did. Did you guys skip dinner?”
“Oh, no. We stopped along the way, but Sophie says she’s hungry.”
“Well, come inside, little bit. I’ve got some leftover lasagna in the fridge that Mrs. Gibbs made. We can make you a hot plate special.” While Sophie scooted for the front porch, the dogs galloping behind her, Cole stayed and helped carry in luggage. As they breached the entryway, he spoke to Jessie. “I don’t think Mrs. Gibbs would mind if you stayed in her room.”
Jessie shook her head. “I wouldn’t intrude on her private space. I’ll take the extra twin bed in Sophie’s room.”
They left the bags at the base of the stairs and followed Sophie into the kitchen. Cole was surprised that Angela came, too, having thought she might prefer to head on up to her own room. Pleased that she wanted to join them, he gave her another quick hug. “It’s nice to have you kids home again.”
“We need to talk, Dad.”
Uh-oh, he should have guessed. “In private or with Sophie?”
Angie gave him an impatient look, the kind that said he’d asked a stupid question. “All of us. Sophie has questions that are way beyond my ability to answer.”
“Let’s get some food on the table, and we’ll sit down and talk things over.” Sophie was already shoulders-deep into the refrigerator, so he went over to help her sort through things to find the pan of lasagna.
He and Jessie kept up the chitchat while they heated leftovers. Angela set forks on the table, and soon they were all at their seats. Belle took her place beside Sophie, hoping for a tidbit, while Bruno settled beneath the table at Cole’s feet. He had the feeling they both sighed with pleasure that their family was all in one place again.
In years past, this situation with Olivia would have made Cole talk “at” his kids, but months of family counseling had taught him to become a better listener. Once they’d polished off enough of the meal to banish the hungries, Cole turned to his oldest. “What do you want to talk about, Angel?”
“About Mom.”
“Sure. Anything specific?”
She turned to her sister. “Sophie …”
Sophie put her fork down and leaned forward, a shadow crossing her face. “She acted like she didn’t want us there, Dad. Even on the first day.”
“How so, sweetheart?”
“I wanted to sit by her to watch TV, and she got up and moved away. Then I asked her to read me a story before bed, and she said she was too tired. And she didn’t have a happy face on. You know.”
Cole did know, and he recognized that Sophie’s happy face had also disappeared. He knew better than to make light of the rejection she must have felt. He looked at Angela to see if she wanted to add anything, but she remained silent and stony-faced. “Mom told me she wanted you there for the whole week,” he said. “I know she was excited to have you come visit.”
Sophie’s eyes brimmed. “Can a mom fall out of love with her kids?”
Cole looked at Jessie, and she raised her brows at him, an invitation to field the question. The slow burn that had started when he first received the call from his distressed kids threatened to flare. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing and make matters worse between Liv and her children, but by golly, she wasn’t making this any easier. “I’m not sure I know how to answer that question, Sophie. I don’t know about other moms; I just have some ideas about your mom.”
He could tell she was fighting tears and trying to put on a brave face. “What about my mom?”
“I don’t think she’s fallen out of love with you and Angie. You know this has been complicated. Mom has an illness that we can’t see, but it’s still an illness. Her depression comes and goes, and evidently she’s still struggling with it more than we were aware of.”
A tear slipped down Sophie’s cheek. “But why does she act like she doesn’t like us? I don’t get it.”
Cole felt like he’d reached a dead end. “To tell the truth, I don’t get it either. But when I talked to your mom on the phone, I did understand one thing. She does love you, and she wants to spend time with you.”
“But why does she act like she doesn’t?”
Judging by Sophie’s sad face, Cole would guess he hadn’t helped her very much, even though he wished more than anything that he could. “Sophie, try to understand that your mom has an illness. She takes medicine for it and she works in counseling just like we do … you know, to try to get in touch with our feelings so that we can handle them. But your mom’s sadness is bigger than what we feel. It’s not so easily managed, but she’s doing the best she can.”
Cole hoped he’d hit on a comparison that Sophie could relate to. “Imagine how sad you are right now, only make it much, much bigger. That’s what your mom deals with, and it can make her feel tired. She might want to go to her room and lie down. Sometimes she needs a nap. That’s what was going on with your mom the past few days. She hasn’t fallen out of love with you. She loves you more than ever.”
He remembered what Mattie had said about small steps. “We just took too big a step, Sophie. We tried to do too much at once. Instead of visiting Mom for a week, we’re going to go for a day next time. I think that will work much better, don’t you?”
Sophie’s attention had been riveted on him the whole time, and she looked like her tearfulness had resolved for the moment. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t have to revisit this conversation in the future, but it was now almost eleven o’clock, and she looked as tired as he felt.