Danielle
Emerson, who was so careful. Who made sure her whole family had all their servings of fruit and vegetables, and never went more than two miles over the speed limit.
Emerson who had so much life and burned brighter than the sun even on her worst days.
It just didn’t make any sense that it was her, first.
And yet, here she was .
Standing beside two newly dug graves, coffins lowering as muffled sobs echo around her. She’s in the front beside Erick, Harper beside her and holding her hand.
She’s not sure when it will sink in for Harper, just that she’ll be there when it does. And maybe, just maybe, when it happens she’ll be back to the surface after drowning in grief herself.
As soon as they’re finished with the funeral, they’re going to the lawyer’s office to divide the assets that both of them left behind.
Like her father had said, they hadn’t left a formal will.
Only the one that Danielle had, so that she could take custody of Harper, and a handwritten letter that said what their final wishes were, should something happen to them .
She isn’t sure how a handwritten will is going to hold up in court.
Especially when both sets of their parents were back in town and they were nothing if not greedy, demanding, and loud.
They’ll find out in a few hours, she supposes, and is thankful that she decided that they need a lawyer present, should things go awry.
Danielle is dreading this meeting almost as much as the burial.
She just hopes that neither set of parents would contest custody.
Not that she wouldn’t have an easy time winning since Jack’s parents lived in Montana and Emerson’s parents had moved to Europe before Danielle had even graduated college.
Said they were fulfilling a life-long dream and left Erick alone to fend for himself while Emerson was also gone.
Emerson had always told Danielle that her parents had never wanted them, just had them because it was what was expected by everyone else.
Erick is Harper’s only blood relative that lives close by, and they wouldn’t want to take her away from family. Harper would officially come and move in with Danielle as soon as they had finalized everything at the end of the day.
“I want mama,” Harper says softly .
She looks up at Danielle, and Danielle wants to cry. She looks so much like Emerson with her light brown hair and wide green eyes, it sends a knife of pain through Danielle’s stomach.
“I know, Sparrow,” Danielle says, the nickname slipping before she can stop it. She’d given it to Harper when she was three, and her laugh was clear and bright and full of joy at the smallest things. “I know, I want her too.”
“You said she can’t come back.”
“I did,” Danielle replies, fighting the burn in her eyes. “But it’s going to be okay. You’re going to be able to come live with me. We’re going to bring all of your stuff to my house when you get back from ice cream later.”
“You promise?”
Danielle crouches so she’s level with Harper and smooths a lock of hair that had fallen out of place behind her ear.
“I promise.”
“I don’t want to live with anyone else, Aunt D,” Harper says, flinging her arms round Danielle’s neck and holding tight.
Danielle hugs her and stands to her full height .
“I don’t want you to go anywhere else,” she says, pressing a kiss to Harper’s temple. “You already have a Harper room at my house.”
“I like the Harper room,” Harper says, yawning. She nestles her face into Danielle’s neck and closes her eyes.
Danielle forces herself to watch as they lower the caskets and cover them with dirt. Her arms are tired from holding Harper, but she can’t leave until she knows it’s over. Can’t say a proper goodbye when everyone is still there.
Erick comes over and takes Harper from her gently. “I’ll get her to your mom.”
“Thank you,” Danielle says, giving him a brave smile. “I think my mom and dad are going to take her to get ice cream while we finish up at the lawyer’s office.”
“My parents aren’t going to go down without a fight,” Erick says with a sad smile.
“I know, but the paper is in Emerson’s writing, notarized, and has her and Jack’s signature on it. I don’t think they’re going to be able to do too much.”
“We’ll see. You know how they are.”
“I know exactly how scary they can be,” Danielle says, “my parents used to run in their circle. ”
When Erick leaves, Danielle is finally alone, and the dirt is covering both of their graves.
“We were supposed to have so much time,” she whispers to the dirt. “How dare you leave me like this?”
She crouches down, not caring that her dress will get muddy. Runs her fingers through the soft, cool earth.
“I’ll take care of Harper,” she says, “I promise. I’ll probably make a lot of mistakes, but I’ll do my best.”
She reaches behind her neck and unhooks her necklace before standing up. She can remember Emerson buying it for her one summer at a craft fair. Danielle had laughed and said that people were going to think they were a couple if they had matching necklaces but Emerson had bought it for her, anyway.
It was a small, silver lily on a dainty chain that Danielle couldn’t believe hadn’t snapped in the years she’d worn it without taking it off.
She digs down into the fresh earth and drops the necklace in the hole, covers it again before standing. In a hundred years, maybe someone will find it with a metal detector, or the earth will have eroded away and uncovered it. For now, she’s leaving the final piece of her heart with her friends .
“I love you so much, Em,” she says, wiping her eyes. “It’s not going to be the same here without you.”
Danielle’s parents take Harper out for ice cream while she drives to the lawyer’s office and tries to pull herself into some semblance of together as she parks. She doesn’t think she can take another loss.
Game face on, head first, can’t lose.
This is about Harper and what’s best for her. Not what’s best for Danielle, or Erick, or to protect her heart from losing someone else she loves dearly.
It’s better for Harper to stay in a place she knows, with people she knows. Taking her away would only make this harder on her.
Erick is waiting for her outside. The sun is shining, there’s a nice breeze, and it’s the exact opposite of what she’s feeling as she gets out of her car. She grabs the envelope containing her guardianship papers, holding it with a vice-grip at her side.
“Hey,” Erick greets when she reaches him. His eyes are red-rimmed, his shoulders sagging, but he gives her a watery smile. “Everyone is already inside.”
“Are you ready to watch four grown adults lose their minds? ”
“Always,” Erick says. “Especially these four grown adults.”
She hooks an arm around his waist and he throws his around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. “If you want my opinion, there’s no one better suited for Harper than you.”
“Not sure your opinion is going to matter much, but I appreciate the thought,” she says, half-smiling in return. “Let’s get this over with.”
He nods, and they walk inside together.
The office is cozy, deep reds and beiges, plush carpets and oak furniture. It’s a family firm, has been since the seventies, and it’s nothing like the corporate offices that have been made so popular from television. It’s comforting, it’s homey, and it feels safe to be there.
Jack and Emerson’s parents are already seated at a long table in a conference room, lawyer standing at the head waiting for them.
Everyone is still dressed in their funeral attire; Emerson’s mom is dabbing at her eyes with a tissue and clutching their dad’s hand.
Jack’s parents are sitting, stoic, staring down at the wood surface of the table .
It’s strange that a man, so mischievous and full of love to give, came from these two.
If Danielle hadn’t known them, she would have thought their attitudes were a result of grief.
Stoicism is their nature, burying all of their emotions somewhere in their stomachs and then one day, they’ll die without having the courage to feel.
“Well,” the lawyer says, adjusting his suit, “now that we’re all here, I’d like to start by saying that I’m very sorry for your losses. It’s not an easy thing, to lose a loved one. Or a child, for that matter.”
“We understand that no formal will was written for them,” Jack’s mother says, “what exactly are the legal proceedings for ordering their affairs?”
“Actually –” Erick says, nodding to the lawyer, “they did leave a will. It was handwritten.”
“Handwritten wills don’t hold in a court of law,” Emerson’s father says to his son, smug smile on his face. “They’re holographic wills at best, fraudulent at worst.”
“Emerson and Jack went through all of the proper procedures,” the lawyer says. “It was witnessed by three people, signed by all five of them, and notarized. They were very prepared with their affairs. ”
“Just like my sister to be an overachiever,” Erick says, “even getting ready for death she dotted all her I’s and crossed every t.”
“And a handwritten will holds up in court if those conditions are met,” the lawyer says, “so you can contest it if you’d like, but you won’t have much luck.”
Jack’s parents sink back into their seats, as if that was their very intention, and they hadn’t even read the letter yet.
The lawyer hands the letter to Erick, who opens it with shaking hands. They’d named him Executor, and Danielle had only found out the day before.
It’s not like the thought of needing to know these details had ever even crossed their minds, but now that they’re here and carrying out those wishes…. It all feels final, as if the bad dream she’d thought she was in is becoming reality.
“The last Will and Testament of Jack and Emerson Stevens,” Erick says, clearing his throat. He glances around the room, nervous, before he continues.
Danielle looks down at the table, suddenly interested in every line of the oak tree they had used to build it.