him had been a hard one, leading to her being put on bed rest at five months, followed by a premature delivery at thirty-two weeks.
Her grandma on her mom’s side had moved in to help out. She took over the care of Chloe and Natalie as well as her daughter and the house. Because she was older, it had been decided that three young children were too much for her to handle, so Nana and Papa had taken Sophia home to care for her. Even after things had settled down and returned to normal—so to speak—Nana had continued to look after Sophia most days and frequently, at night as well.
Looking back, Sophia felt that she had been somewhat overlooked from the very start, with the next child in the family—the first boy—having been born so soon after her. By the time she was three, another baby had arrived, and she had just never really found her place in the family, especially since even as children, Chloe and Natalie had butted heads, often demanding attention through their fights. And Chris had been a rambunctious child who kept her parents on their toes.
In Nana’s home, Sophia always felt like she was important, and she was forever grateful that her grandmother had been willing to care for her the way she had.
“Are you sure you can afford for me not to pay you rent?” Sophia asked.
“I’m very sure,” Nana said. “And it’s what your grandfather would have wanted as well.”
Her grandfather had passed away ten years earlier, and it had been a devastating time for the whole family. He had been such a stalwart support for everyone, but especially for Sophia. The love and devotion he’d had for Nana had spilled over to Sophia as if she’d been his own daughter instead of a granddaughter.
“I just don’t want you to be put in a difficult financial situation.”
“Don’t worry about that, sweetheart.” Nana reached out to pat her hand. “As you know, your grandfather was in finance, and during his career, he worked in various parts of the industry, some that were very lucrative. Over the years, he made investments that paid off quite well for us. But even with that, we decided that we wouldn’t live lavishly.”
“You really didn’t live lavishly,” Sophia agreed. “Papa’s car was older than me, I think.”
Nana laughed and nodded. “Yes, it was. He made sure that I had a car that ran well, but neither of our vehicles were very splashy. Aside from the house, our largest outlay of money was when we adopted your dad. We just didn’t need to spend more on a bigger house or fancier cars. Those things weren’t important to us. All we wanted was to have money available for our future and also to help others who might need it.”
Sophia thought of the home she now shared with Bryson, and though it had been quite cute in its day, it was beginning to show signs of wear. Thankfully, it was still sturdy and had more than enough space for the two of them.
“Anyway, when your grandfather got sick, he made sure everything was in order for my future. He understood that might involve a care home like this, so he wanted to be sure I was free to make whatever decisions I needed to without any financial concerns.”
“So even though you have to pay to stay here, you’re okay financially?”
“I’m more than okay, sunshine, which is why I don’t need you to pay me rent. The house is paid off, so there’s no mortgage to cover.”
“If you’re sure…”
“I am positive,” Nana said firmly. “I know that it’s important for you to stay home with Bryson right now, but I also know that you’re not making a lot of money babysitting. You should keep that money for your needs.”
“Thank you, Nana.”
The older woman reached out and gripped Sophia’s hand with surprising strength for her age. “I wish that you and Bryson hadn’t gone through what you did. And whatever I can do to help you, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m just glad that you’re both home again. Safe.”
Sophia blinked back tears as she nodded. “I’m glad to be home too.”
If only her bad decisions hadn’t led her to that horrible place to begin with. Except…if she hadn’t gone with Ezekiel, she wouldn’t have Bryson. And for all that the past five years had been a nightmare, having Bryson in her life was worth it. She just wished they weren’t both dealing