Chapter 13 #2
Gloria led her to the living room where her stuffed rabbit sat surrounded by what appeared to be balled-up socks. The little girl climbed straight into Sienna’s lap with a stuffed bunny clutched in her arms.
“Look!” Gloria whispered excitedly. “Mr. Hoppy got babies! Mommy says boy bunnies can’t make babies, but she’s wrong, ’cause look!” She pointed emphatically at the sock-babies. “Dey just popped out! Poof! Like magic!”
“I helped!” George called from the doorway. “De baby bunnies were hiding under my bed.”
“Dat’s where dey were born,” Gloria nodded sagely, patting Mr. Hoppy’s head. “’Cause Georgie’s bed’s special. Dere were monsters but Uncle C scared ’hem with his biiig voice.”
Sienna’s heart expanded at the earnest explanation and at the complete trust in Gloria’s eyes as she shared her “secret”.
“Well,” she rescinded in a serious tone, “maybe Mr. Hoppy is a very special bunny.”
“Dat’s what I said!” Gloria beamed as she snuggled closer. “Uncle C says s‘cial is tops. Like you!” She touched Sienna’s hair gently. “Soft like my dollie’s dress.”
Through the window, Sienna caught Crone watching them with a soft and knowing smile on his lips. He knew what she was experiencing, because these two wonderful little beings had done the same for him. He was right—this was exactly the medicine she needed.
Dinner flowed naturally, punctuated by the twins’ running commentary on everything from the funny trees in their mashed potatoes to George’s detailed explanation of why dinosaurs would make excellent soccer players.
Sienna relaxed into the warmth of shared laughter and stories, until somehow she was telling them about her days behind the camera.
“I loved capturing those perfect moments,” she said, surprising herself with the surge of passion in her voice.
“Not just the posed shots, but the in-between moments of a model’s genuine laugh, or the way light caught the sweep of fabric.
” Her gaze drifted to the twins playing on the carpet with Gloria making her bunny hop while George mimicked her with a toy dinosaur.
“Like that.” Her eyes turned dreamy. “Those perfect, unscripted moments of innocent joy.”
An idea unfurled slowly in her mind of starting photography again.
Not the stark glamour of fashion photography, but something warmer and intimate—capturing the heart of the Rawhide Ranch community and preserving these precious moments for families and friends.
She tucked the thought away, but it left a warm glow of possibility in her chest.
“Come you two little hooligans,” Moira said as the meal finished. “You know what time it is.”
“Bath time!” Gloria clapped her hands, almost upending her milk. “Uncle C! You pro’sed last time.”
“I did? About what this time?” Crone leaned back in his chair, pretending ignorance.
Gloria’s mouth opened around a disbelieving, “Oh.” Then she slapped her hand on the carpet. “’Bout de bubbles. De biggestest ever!”
“Oh, lord help me,” Moira said with a groan. “Not that again.”
“And boats!” George added. “De ones dat go zoom!”
Sienna’s breath caught, but she couldn’t help but smile at Crone’s theatrical sigh. “Don’t you two ever get tired of turning me into a water park?” he groaned, even as he was standing.
“Nope!” The twins chorused with Gloria already tugging at his hand while George ran ahead, making engine noises.
“Aunty Si hasta come too,” Gloria declared and grabbed her hand with sticky fingers. “She hasta get a bubble crown.”
The bathroom quickly transformed into a maritime disaster zone. Toy boats conducted epic races while Gloria gave Mr. Hoppy swimming lessons and George provided sound effects for his aquatic T-Rex that somehow kept defeating the naval forces.
“Look!” Gloria stood up, covered in bubbles. “I’m a snow princess!”
“I’m a sea monster!” George disappeared under the suds, emerging with a bubble beard.
Sienna found herself laughing so hard her sides hurt, even as water soaked through her shirt from their enthusiasm. Before heading downstairs, she wrapped her arms around Crone’s equally drenched form.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I didn’t know I could still feel this... this alive.”
He placed a tender kiss on her forehead. “You’ve always been alive, kitten. You just needed reminding.”
In their absence, the living room had been transformed into a cozy nest of blankets and pillows. Crone handed her a steaming mug of hot chocolate. Gloria immediately zeroed in on the marshmallows.
“Look! Pink clouds!” she declared as she climbed into Sienna’s lap without hesitation. “Like when Elsa makes her castle.”
George sprawled across Crone with his dinosaur tucked under one arm and Mr. Hoppy borrowed from Gloria under the other. “Uncle C’s hot choc’s de bestest ’cause dere’s ’xtra clouds.”
The little girl’s warm frame settled against Sienna. The innocent trust and natural affection pierced her heart with bittersweet longing. She would never experience this with her own child, never feel a small body curl trustingly against her, heavy with approaching sleep.
Crone’s hand found hers in the dim light, squeezing gently. When she looked at him, his eyes held understanding and a promise that she wasn’t alone in this moment of grief wrapped in joy.
“I like your cuddles, Aunty Si.” Gloria twisted to pat Sienna’s cheek. “Soft ‘n warm like my ’pecial blankie. Almost good as Uncle C.”
“Almost?” A wobbly smile crossed Sienna’s face as her unsteady hands gentled through the little girl’s wild curls.
“Uh-huh. Uncle C’s bestest ’cause he’s a big bear.” Gloria demonstrated by spreading her arms wide. “But you smell pretty, like Mommy’s flowers.”
“Uncle C gives de bestest piggyback rides too,” George mumbled around a yawn.
“Shh!” Gloria suddenly sat up straight. “Elsa’s gonna sing.”
They watched the movie through a stream of commentary. Gradually, their chatter grew slower, punctuated by yawns, until both twins were heavy-limbed and drowsy.
“One more song?” Gloria’s eyes were drooping even as she pleaded when Moira declared it was bedtime. “Please, Mommy? I’m not sleepy yet…” She snuggled deeper into Sienna’s embrace.
“Me too,” George protested, though he was practically melted across Crone.
The ache in Sienna's chest shifted slowly, the sharp edge she had grown accustomed to softening into gentle warmth. Motherhood might forever remain beyond her reach, yet her heart still held room enough for this kind of love.
Later, standing beside Crone’s truck in the cool evening air, Sienna was almost drunk on the emotions swirling through her.
She still felt the phantom warmth of Gloria’s sleepy form against her with her shirt bearing traces of sticky fingerprints and spilled hot chocolate, but none of that mattered.
Having been accepted into their special, private little world meant more than she could ever have imagined.
“Nighty-night, Aunty Si!” Gloria called from the porch where she was wrapped in her princess blanket. “You hafta come back ’morrow ’cause Mr. Hoppy misses you.”
“And Uncle C must teach you de kick,” George added as he swayed against his father’s legs. “De bestest spin one.”
“Inside, monsters,” Jagger chuckled as he steered them toward the door. “Before you fall asleep standing up.”
“Not monsters,” Gloria protested through a massive yawn. “Angels... Uncle C said so…”
“Love you, Uncle C!” They chorused as Moira herded them inside. “Love you, Aunty Si!”
Crone gathered her close. “You did so well in there, love. I am so proud of you.”
Sienna basked in the praise offered in a thickened voice. “No one could stay unaffected with those two around,” she murmured against his chest, breathing in the mingled scents of bubble bath, chocolate, and him.
“No,” he agreed, “but not everyone would have opened their heart to let them in so completely.” He tilted her chin up. “You’re stronger than you know, love. The way you let them love you today... that takes real courage.”
As they drove home, Sienna watched the stars emerge above the Sapphire Mountains.
The hollow space inside her that had echoed with loss for so long now hummed with a new possibility.
Not to heal completely, but the promise of it.
Like the first warm breeze of spring after a long winter, the heavy burden inside her now carried the oath of growth and renewal.
She touched the slightly sticky handprint Gloria had left on her sleeve, and for the first time in years, she smiled without shadows lingering at the edge.
Sometimes, the best medicine came in small packages, wrapped in bubble bath and fairy-tale movies, and delivered by tiny hands that knew nothing of darkness—only the simple, unconditional love that children offered so freely.
“Thank you,” she whispered, though Crone was focused on driving. “For knowing exactly what I needed, even when I didn’t.”
His hand found hers in the darkness, squeezing gently. They didn’t talk for the rest of the journey. No words were necessary. The twins had said it all.