Invisible String

11

I sighed in relief and leaned my head back.

“She’s okay,” I said to Tree, wiping the sweat off my brow. “Just got startled. Honestly… same.”

“Oh honey, I bet.” Tree laughed gently. “You sounded way too calm there for a second. Thought maybe you were holding it together a little too well.”

I cracked a tired smile. “Not even close.”

Tree’s voice softened. “I really just wanted to check when you guys think you’ll be flying home. Everything’s ready. We set up the nursery in your room just like you asked. And… someone’s been asking about you nonstop.”

I felt my heart twist. “Lily?”

There was a rustle and a soft beep like someone was being passed the phone. Then a tiny voice rang out across the car:

“Hi Mama! Is da baby with you?!”

I choked on air.

It was the first time Lily had called me that.

I blinked hard, swallowing against the lump in my throat. Travis reached out and rested a hand on my leg, giving it a squeeze.

“She’s with us, sweet girl,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “And we’re bringing her home soon.”

Lily gasped, delighted. “Can I hold her?! Can I give her one of my stuffies?! She’s tiny like my giraffe?”

Travis chuckled, and I laughed through my tears.

“She’s exactly that tiny,” I said. “And I think she’d love one of your stuffies.”

Lily started talking a mile a minute—about which animals she wanted to share and which pajamas the baby should wear and whether the baby knew how to eat yet.

Mira stirred in her seat, eyes fluttering, the pacifier still bobbing between her lips. I turned slightly, watching her and imagining her snuggled into her big sister’s arms in just a few days.

We were coming home as four. Finally.

Lily kept chattering excitedly through the car speakers, her tiny voice filling the vehicle like sunshine pouring through the windows.

“She can sleep in my bed if she wants!” Lily declared. “But only if she doesn’t cry. Or maybe a little bit. I don’t mind a little bit.”

I let out a soft laugh and wiped at the corner of my eye. “That’s very generous of you, baby. But I think she might sleep in her crib for a little while. Just until she learns not to kick.”

“I kick too,” Lily said matter-of-factly, as if this proved they were meant to be together.

“Exactly,” I said, smiling so hard my cheeks hurt.

Tree came back on the line, her voice gentler now. “She’s been asking all morning. She even packed a diaper bag for her baby sister—with Goldfish and crayons.”

“Oh, sweet girl…” I breathed, pressing a hand to my heart.

Mira stirred softly, her mouth working the pacifier as her eyes fluttered beneath heavy lids. I reached back and laid a gentle hand on her car seat handle. She was so tiny, so real, and already deeply part of us. A perfect stranger who somehow already belonged.

“We should be home in a couple days,” I said, pulling myself together. “The paperwork’s all but done. We just need the final clearance to fly with both girls, and then… we’ll come home.”

Travis gave a little nod, his eyes still fixed on the road. “Everything’s installed and packed. We’re ready.”

Tree hesitated for a beat. “How are you doing, Tay?”