as Gemma appears. Her eyes light up, and a big smile stretches across her face.
“Aunt Jenna!” she yells, scampering across the floor and throwing herself on Jenna’s lap. The mood instantly lightens, and I’m grateful. I’m tired of all the heartache and pain that comes with my illness.
Of course, Jenna isn’t really her aunt, but we always said when we were younger, we’d have our kids call each other that.
“Hey, Gemma!” Jenna hugs my daughter tightly, rocking back and forth. “How’s my girl been?”
Leaning away, Gemma settles her butt on Jenna’s thighs. “Good.”
“That’s great, baby.” She kisses the tip of her nose. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too. Momma said you weren’t coming until next week. How come you’re early?”
Jenna smiles. “Because I couldn’t wait to see your beautiful face, of course.”
This makes Gemma smile. “I’m glad you’re here.” She looks around the room. “Where’s Violet?”
“She’ll be over soon.”
“Yah! I can’t wait to see her.”
“And she can’t wait to see you too. She’s been talking about you a lot over the last two weeks.”
Gray walks into the room, and she sets Gemma on her feet.
“My goodness,” she says, her wide eyes moving to me. “That can’t be Gray. He’s too tall.”
I laugh, glancing over at my boy. “It’s him, all right. He hit a spurt and shot up fast.”
Gray shifts on his feet, a cute blush stealing over his cheeks. I think he’s always had a crush on my best friend.
“Get over here and give me a hug,” Jenna demands, standing up and opening her arms.
He shuffles his feet across the floor. It’s so darn adorable to watch his face glow. Jenna is taller than me by a few inches, but it still won’t be long until he’s taller than her. He takes after his daddy in the height department.
Jenna yanks him forward when he gets close enough. I choke out a laugh when his face smashes against her breasts and his wide eyes meet mine.
A moment later, she pulls back, keeping one hand on his shoulder and setting the other on Gemma’s. She looks from one to the other.
“I really can’t believe how big you’ve both gotten,” she gushes. “Pretty soon, you’ll be all grown up.”
Gray rocks back on his heels, a proud grin on his face. Gemma beams her bright smile.
I clap my hands and get up from the couch. “Okay, you two. Go finish your chores while I get dinner started.” I turn to Jenna. “You’re staying for dinner once Bryant and Violet get here, right?”
“Absolutely. So long as you let me help cook.”
I smile. “I believe I’ll take you up on that.”
Gray grumbles about doing his chores as he and Gemma leave the room. Jenna and I walk arm and arm to the kitchen. I’m pulling out a pot to boil chicken in when it disappears from my hand, and I’m suddenly turned around. My breath is knocked out of me from the force of Jenna’s hug. I rub her back as she sniffles in my shoulder. Squeezing my eyes shut, I force my own tears away.
I’m not sure how long we stay that way. When we pull back, she palms both of my cheeks, looking deeply into my eyes.
“I love you,” she says fiercely. “You’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and I’ve cherished every second I’ve ever spent with you. No matter what happens or how hard things get, I’m always here for you. For anything.”
My smile is wobbly. “Thank you, Jenna. Love you too. The only thing keeping me sane right now are my family and friends. I don’t know what I’d do without any of you.”
“And you’ll never have to find out.” She sniffs and straightens her spine, composing herself. “Now, let’s get to feeding our family.”
Chapter Twenty
LINCOLN
A smiling Molly is my favorite Molly. It means she’s happy, and that’s what I care about the most. Having Jenna here is good for her. The two were really close growing up—not as close as Molly and me, but if Molly wasn’t with me, she was with Jenna—and I know she misses her terribly. It broke Molly’s heart when Jenna moved so far away, but she knew it was the right move for her and Dillon. It was even harder when Jenna decided to not come back to Barre Vale after Dillon died, but again, Molly understood her reasoning. It was where the home was that she shared with her husband.
Childish and feminine laughter fills the backyard as Bryant