Chapter 16 #3
Abigail, Caitlin, and Drew all smile at me, and then, at Abigail’s suggestion, Caitlin heads upstairs to fetch Nancy from her bedroom.
Abigail looks at me with a questioning tilt of her brow.
“Nervous,” she asks, a slight gleam in her eye.
I see in that second why she’s so good at her job.
She is incredibly talented at reading people and situations, and has such vast experience in her field that I trust her to make the best decisions for Nancy’s well-being.
As far as I’m concerned, the sooner I can get her home, the better, but I want to make sure that’s what’s best for her.
“I’m that obvious?” I ask, a small chuckle masking my nerves.
“Not terribly obvious, but I’d be concerned if you weren’t a little apprehensive, Nash. This is a big day, and the fact you recognise that, and feel strongly about it, tells me everything I need to know.”
I nod, and we wait in silence as two sets of footsteps can be heard, one of which – the lighter one – takes each stair with both feet as Nancy makes her way carefully downstairs.
Drew clears the now-empty mugs from the table, leaving me with Abigail before she, too, gets up and stands over by the kitchen window. I hear muffled voices in the hall for a few seconds, before small footsteps rush into the kitchen and then…
There she is.
Nancy stands in the kitchen doorway, her dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, loose wisps framing her angelic face, her startling light blue eyes locked on mine.
She’s wearing a pink woolly jumper with clouds on it underneath bottle-green dungarees, with a small pink handbag hanging diagonally across her body.
She leans heavily into the door frame, clinging to it for safety.
I smile at her from my seat at the table, frozen in place and not really knowing what to do.
Nancy makes her way into the room with Caitlin, clinging to her side for safety and comfort as I tilt my head at her and smile once again.
I don’t speak, not yet. I want to meet her where she’s at, and she has trouble with speaking when she’s anxious.
I don’t want her to feel any pressure from me to talk, so I keep quiet too.
I reach down and take the small gift bag from under my seat, holding it out to her.
Her eyes light up, and she squeaks as she moves closer, finally releasing her grip on Caitlin.
She takes the bag, opens the ribbons, and pulls out the small stuffed grey seal.
She looks from it to me before hugging it to her chest and squeezing it tightly.
She brings it to her lips and whispers something so softly I can’t hear it, then tucks the small toy into her dungarees pocket so the head is poking out, facing forward.
I grin at her, my heart pounding in my chest with love for this girl already.
Suddenly, she grabs her small handbag from her side and pulls it in front of her.
She opens it up and shows me a toy mobile phone.
She proceeds to show me all the buttons and the noises it makes.
She is grinning at me like she is waiting to hear what I think of the item she clearly thinks is the best thing since sliced bread.
I coo in appreciation at the phone, before she puts it back in her handbag, zipping it securely, and in the same breath, takes another small step towards me.
I push my chair back, and as though that were the invitation she was waiting for, she bounds across the remaining space between us and tries to climb up onto my lap.
I look at Caitlin, needing guidance, and she just smiles softly and gives me a nod.
I put my hands out in front of me in the universal ‘you want me to pick you up?’ gesture, and Nancy puts her own arms up, making it clear she does.
She settles sideways on my lap, then shifts so she’s facing me.
Her expression is blank for a moment before curiosity overtakes her.
She leans up, placing both hands on my cheeks.
She scratches my stubble with her tiny fingers, and my heart stops when my sweet girl giggles the quietest giggle I’ve ever heard.
I don’t even think Caitlin heard it from where she stands behind my chair.
Neither of us speaks as she continues to explore my face with her hands.
She pokes at my eyebrows with her fingers, my cheekbones, tugging on the lobes of my ears before she once again scratches at my scruff, and a huge smile takes over her face.
I smile back at her, and she bops the end of my nose with her finger, that tiny giggle escaping her again.
I do the same, bopping her nose as well, and she bounces in excitement.
She clambers down from my lap and takes my hand.
She drags me upstairs to her bedroom, and I follow, powerless in the wake of this quiet whirlwind of a human who has stolen my heart in the space between one beat and the next.
I look over my shoulder at the gobsmacked yet smiling faces of Abigail, Drew, and Caitlin.
As Nancy and I climb the stairs, I hear Caitlin say she’ll come up and sit with us before Abigail speaks casual words that make my life complete.
“Well… I think we can safely say that went very well.”