Invisible String

61

I let out a soft breath, glancing at Travis. He gave a small nod.

I motioned for everyone to come into the living room. “Okay. Sit down. This is something we haven’t talked about in a long time. But you’re old enough now.”

Everyone plopped down on the couch or the rug, curiosity buzzing around the room.

“Before we adopted you, Lily,” I began, “and before Mira was born… I was pregnant.”

Their eyes widened. Ivy leaned in like she didn’t want to miss a single word.

“I was in my second trimester,” I continued, voice gentle. “It was a little girl. We had picked out names. We felt her move. Everything was fine… until it wasn’t.”

Mira’s mouth opened slightly, her brows furrowed. “You… lost her?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes. We never got to bring her home.”

Lily looked stunned, quiet for once. “You’ve never told us that.”

“I know,” I said. “It’s one of those heartbreaks that’s hard to talk about. Even now.”

Travis added, “But she’s real to us. She always will be. And when we say we have five kids, it’s because in our hearts, we do. She’s part of our story, even if you never got to meet her.”

Ivy blinked, her voice small. “Did she have a name?”

“She did,” I said, smiling through the ache. “We called her Everleigh.”

There was silence for a moment. Then Lily quietly said, “I get why you didn’t say anything. But I’m glad you told us now.”

Mira reached over and took my hand. “She’s still our sister, right?”

“Always,” I said, squeezing her fingers. “She’s the reason we held space for all of you. For this life.”

Travis rested a hand on my knee. “We never thought we’d be parents to four amazing kids. But losing Everleigh… it changed everything. It made room for all of this.”

Baylor leaned his head on my shoulder and whispered, “Hi, Everleigh. I hope you know we love you too.”

And just like that, our invisible thread pulled a little tighter, stitched just a little deeper.

Even now, even after all this time—she was with us. Always.

The living room was quiet after Baylor whispered his little hello to Everleigh. Everyone sat still for a moment, letting the weight of the conversation settle in.

Then Mira tilted her head, ever the one to ask what everyone else was thinking. “Wait… so Baylor’s the only one you guys had… biologically?”

Travis and I exchanged a glance. We knew this day would come eventually—the day they’d want to piece it all together.

“Yeah,” Travis said, sitting forward on the ottoman. “He is. We tried for a long time to have another baby after Everleigh, but it just… never worked.”

I nodded. “We talked about it a lot. She was always in our hearts. But every time we got our hopes up, we were let down. And after a while, it just felt like maybe that chapter was closed.”

“Then Lily and I?” Lily asked.

“We found out about you two not long after,” I said gently, looking between her and Mira. “You both needed a home, and our hearts were wide open. You were meant to be ours—we knew it instantly.”

“And then…” Travis chuckled softly, glancing at Baylor, who was sitting on the arm of the couch, looking confused. “Then we got the biggest surprise of all.”