Chapter 21
ELYSE
The next day was Sunday, my day of rest. I was curled up on the couch with a book I hadn't been able to focus on for the past hour, my mind too full of everything that had happened in the last few weeks. Drew was golfing but was due to arrive home any minute.
When I heard him come through the garage door, I set my book aside and stood, eager to see his face.
"Hey, you," I said as he walked in.
He looked tired but smiled when he saw me. "Hey yourself." He set down his golf bag and wrapped me in a hug that felt like coming home. "Where's Holly?"
"At Jenna's. They're experimenting with some new cupcake flavors for a wedding next month." I pulled back slightly to look at him. "She's turning into quite the little baker. Jenna says she has a natural talent."
Drew nodded, his expression thoughtful as he led me back to the couch. Instead of sitting beside me, he took the chair opposite, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Something in his posture made my heart skip.
"Everything okay?" I asked, immediately on alert.
"Actually, I've been doing a lot of thinking during my golf round." He raked a hand through his hair, a gesture I knew meant he was working out how to say something important. "About Holly."
My stomach tightened. "What about her?"
"I called your parents this morning." His green eyes met mine steadily. "To get an update on your sister."
The tightness in my stomach coiled further. Drew had always been careful about getting too involved in my sister's issues, not wanting to overstep. The fact that he'd reached out directly to my parents signaled something significant.
"And?" I prompted when he didn't immediately continue.
Drew took a deep breath. "It's not good, Elyse. The rehab center she checked into said she left after three days. She's completely off the grid again."
I nodded slowly, absorbing this information. It wasn't new, nor was it surprising, exactly. Rachel had disappeared before, but each time it happened, hope dimmed a little more.
"Your dad mentioned the conversation you had with him when Holly overheard—about Rachel potentially terminating her rights." Drew's voice was gentle but direct. "He thinks it might be the best path forward, whether Rachel agrees or not."
"Abandonment grounds," I murmured.
Drew nodded. "Exactly. And I agree with him."
"But... What does this mean for Holly?"
He slid from the chair to kneel in front of me, taking both my hands in his. "Elyse, Holly's thriving here. She's got the job at the bakery, she's making friends, she's talking about school activities for fall. She's got stability for the first time in years."
"I know," I said softly.
"I don't want to disrupt that. I don't want her to have to go back to living in uncertainty, waiting for Rachel to get her act together." His eyes were intense, unwavering. "I want Holly to come and live with us. Permanently. I want us to be her family. Officially."
My breath caught. We'd talked about this in hypotheticals, of course. About what might happen if Rachel didn't return. But something in Drew's voice told me this wasn't just speculation anymore.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" I asked, hardly daring to hope.
Drew squeezed my hands. "I'm saying I want us to adopt Holly.
If that's what she wants too. I've been thinking about it for a few weeks, but seeing how she's settled in here, seeing how happy she is despite everything.
.. I don't want to wait anymore. I don't want to leave this as some uncertain future possibility. "
Tears filled my eyes. "Drew—"
"I know it's a big step," he continued. "And I know there are legal hurdles.
But I've done some research. Given Rachel's history and the current situation, we have a good case.
And your parents are supportive. They agree this is what's best for Holly.
I wanted to discuss this with them first since they technically have custody of Holly. "
I couldn't speak past the lump in my throat. Instead, I slid off the couch and into his arms, burying my face against his shoulder.
"So that's a yes?" he murmured into my hair, his arms tightening around me.
I pulled back, wiping at my eyes. "It's an absolute yes. I've wanted this since she got here, but I didn't want to push. I wasn't sure if you were ready for such a big commitment."
Drew's smile was soft. "Are you kidding? I've loved that kid since I met her when she was three. Having her here, watching her become part of our daily life... it just feels right, Elyse. Like she was always supposed to be our daughter."
Our daughter. The words sent a wave of emotion through me so powerful I could barely breathe.
"What if Holly doesn't want this?" I asked, voicing the fear that had kept me from bringing this up myself.
"Then we respect that," Drew said simply. "But from what I've seen, and from the way she's been talking about the future, about staying here... I think she might be waiting for us to make the first move."
I nodded, remembering Holly's tentative questions about school in the fall, about whether she could repaint her room, about longer-term plans that suggested she wanted to stay.
"When should we talk to her?" I asked.
"Soon." Drew brushed a strand of hair from my face. "I don't want her to have any doubts about where she belongs."
The sound of keys in the door made us both turn. Holly walked in, her face flushed with excitement, a white bakery box in her hands.
"You'll never believe what Jenna let me do today! I got to design a whole new cupcake flavor and—" She stopped, taking in our position on the floor, my tear-streaked face. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Drew and I exchanged a look, and in that moment, I knew it was right. We were exactly where all three of us were meant to be at that moment.
"Nothing's wrong," I said, rising to my feet and extending a hand to her. "But Uncle Drew and I would like to talk to you about something important."
Holly set the bakery box on the entryway table, her expression wary. "About my mom?"
"Sort of," Drew said, standing beside me. "But mostly about us. About you."
"About our family," I added softly.
Holly's eyes darted between us, a fragile hope beginning to bloom in her expression. "Our family?"
Drew nodded, his voice steady and sure as he spoke the words that would change all of our lives forever: "Holly, we want you to know that no matter what happens with your mom, you always have a home here with us.
We know it must be a challenge to have so much instability in your life right now, and we want to be your soft place to land.
We want you to come and live with us. We would love for you to be a Bennett. "
Holly looked back and forth between the two of us, but said nothing.
"Honey, are you ok?" I asked. "That was a lot. Drew I think we shorted her out." I was hoping to get a laugh out of her, but her face was getting redder by the second.
She nodded her head once, and the movement shook a tear free.
Ahhh. That was it.
Holly was a lot like me and couldn't speak when she was overcome with emotion.
"Just think about what he said, sweetheart. You don't have to make a decision right now, we just wanted you to know that the option is there for you."
She nodded again, then walked over to Drew and rested her forehead on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight. I stepped toward them and rubbed her back in circles.
"Thank you," she croaked a few moments later. When she stepped back, she looked more relaxed than she had since she arrived.
Drew gently punched her on the shoulder. "We love you, kiddo."
She returned the gesture, then picked up the bakery box again. "I'm going to put these in the kitchen and head to bed if that's ok."
We assured her that was more than fine, and a minute later, after another hug for each of us, she headed for her room.