The Eye of a Hurricane

Lin

Pippa had thrown me off a bit the night before when she said she wasn't sure it was a good idea for me to adopt the girls. I'd only had them a couple weeks, but I could see they were thriving. Miguel had a good heart, but he was like a child himself, barely able to take care of himself. The girls were much better off here in New York with me. Who knew how long it would take Puerto Rico to recover from this.

I'm not sure what was bothering Pippa exactly. I got that Miguel was their father and there was no love like that between a parent and child. I think it had also got her thinking about where our relationship was going. Hopefully I made it clear that I loved having her here, but I wasn't ready to propose to her. We'd only been together officially for a week or so. Obviously, if I adopted my nieces they'd be here all the time. If our relationship were to continue and we were to marry, she'd become like a stepmother.

I was quiet as Pippa moved around the kitchen, heating up a Pop-Tart for Isabel and toast for Luna. I sipped my coffee and was lost in my own thoughts. Pippa checked the time.

"Girls, you need to finish up in about ten minutes," she told them. They nodded and dug into their breakfasts. As Pippa whipped around the kitchen I finally set my coffee cup down and gently tugged on her wrist. I pulled her to me, letting my hands rest on her hips.

"What?" she asked, clearly feeling in the zone with what she was doing. I let my forehead rest against hers.

"Did I upset you last night?" I asked quietly.

"No. Why?" she asked, letting her fingers brush my arms.

"Everything with the girls, I just didn't know if what I brought up got to you," I explained. She sighed a little and let her eyes close for a few moments.

"Lin, I'll support you whatever you decide, but I think you need to give it a lot more thought," Pippa said. "That would be a life changer for them. And I just don't know where I fit in."

I wished I had made a move on Pippa earlier, before the girls came into the equation. That way we could have had a solid relationship and she would've been more comfortable with the situation.

"Well, I want you to fit in completely," I explained, letting one hand cup her cheek. I gently stroked at it with my thumb as I looked into her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too, Lin," she said. "Let's just take it easy."

I nodded and kissed her forehead, and we let our embrace fall away. I noticed Isabel watching us. Most of all, I didn't want to confuse them or cause them any heartache.

"Luna, go find your shoes," Isabel told her little sister. She was still very much Miss Mom to her. Luna groaned and walked back to their room. Isabel followed suit and soon they'd both appeared with shoes and backpacks.

"Math after school today," I reminded Isabel and she rolled her eyes and sighed. Pippa had a meeting that side of town, so she agreed to take the girls to school. I kissed them all goodbye and then hit the shower.

I had a meeting set up with Isabel's math teacher that afternoon, unbeknownst to Isabel. I wanted her tested to see if she had some sort of learning disability that affected her math. She was a voracious reader and was excelling in all her other subjects. Math was her sticking point.

Around 1 in the afternoon, I hopped on the subway down to the girls' school. Isabel's math teacher, Mrs. Thompson, had agreed to meet with me during her prep period, so I took the liberty of grabbing us both a coffee from Starbucks. I think I was instantly her favorite parent the moment I handed it to her. She took it gratefully and thanked me profusely.