As soon as her iPad was out of the box, Leo spent even more money on games. When he handed it to her, we were both shocked to see that she could already read. She informed us that she spent a lot of time with the elderly woman who lived next door when her mom would go out at night or sleep too long the next day. This time, Leo at least had the good sense to go out into the hallway before exploding into profanities. Although the door didn’t muffle his voice nearly enough.
While waiting for our flight, Emma’s name flashes on the screen of my phone as it begins to ring.
"Hello," I answer.
"Y’all on your way home yet?"
"We’re at the airport." I stand to walk out of hearing range, but Liv jumps to her feet to follow me.
"How is she?"
"Amazing…and adjusting." I reach down and run my fingers through her hair. I glance up to find Leo watching us intently from his chair.
"So, I was thinking. You know Jesse is a grief counselor, right? Well, I happen to know for a fact that she’s done a good bit of work with kids over the last year. I was thinking about maybe seeing if she’d be willing to come out and talk to Liv and help you guys get her settled in."
"Emma, no. That’s weird. I appreciate it, but I don’t want to bother them."
"It’s no bother. I can’t confirm this, but she might have reached out to me when she heard about Liv and your situation. She also might have begged me not to tell you she really wants to help."
"Wow. Remind me never to tell you something in confidence again," I deadpan.
I glance down at Liv, who has completely abandoned her iPad and is clinging to my leg. Emma’s not wrong. We could really use the help. Last night, Liv woke up crying no fewer than five times. Each time, she’d settle back into my arms and drift off muttering words in Spanish.
"Let me talk to Leo," I answer before hanging up and moving back to my chair, Liv tight at my side.
"Who was that?" Leo asks from behind his book.
"Emma." I reach out and pull Liv into my lap when I realize she has zero intention of sitting anywhere else. "Listen, she had an idea. Jesse Sharp is a grief counselor and she has offered to come over and help us all get settled in." I silently tilt my head to Liv.
"Oh, that would be fantastic." Leo blows out a loud breath. Apparently, he’s a little more nervous than I thought.
"You don’t think it will be awkward?" I move Liv to the chair beside me and pass her one of the new books Leo bought her at the airport gift shop.
"Sarah, I don’t give a damn… I mean, I don’t care if it’s awkward. It’s Friday, so it’s not like we’re going to be able to find anyone else until next week. Last night killed me. I can’t go through that again. I’d love to get some advice from a professional about how to handle stuff like that." He grabs my hand and brings it to his lips. "Now, is it going to upset you to see Jesse?" he asks as concern fills his eyes.
"I love you. So even if it did upset me, I can deal with it if it will help both of you feel better." I bring his hand to my mouth to return his kiss.
He sucks in a breath and closes his eyes reverently.
"We’re going to be okay, Leo. We can do this together," I whisper.
Liv interrupts our tiny moment in the middle of a busy airport. "Sarah, I need to go to the bathroom."
"Well, then lead the way." I give Leo a quick kiss and wrap her small hand in mine.
"THIS IS your house?" Liv asks as we ride the elevator up to our apartment.
"No. This is our house," Leo answers her with a smile that makes her shyly look away.
"Can we ride the elevator as much as we want?" She tugs on my hand as the doors open.
"Of course." Leo answers. "I’ll have to take you to the roof later. You can see half the city from up there." He reaches down and strokes her hair.
"Really?"
"Yep. Now, come on. Let’s put these bags down in your room before they break my back." She begins to giggle as he squats low to the ground, exaggerating how heavy her small backpack is.
As we walk into the apartment, Johnson greets us at the door.
"How was your trip?" he asks.
Liv only takes one eyeful of the whole scary package that is Aiden Johnson before hiding behind me.
"Liv, this is my best friend, Johnson," Leo says, introducing her. "He’s just ugly, but don’t let him scare you. He’s a nice guy."
"Hey, Liv," Johnson replies, peeking around behind me to catch a glimpse.
"Hi," she shyly tells my back.
Johnson lets out a chuckle. "Okay, well, I’ll let you guys get settled in. I’ll be in the office if you need anything. I took the liberty of tidying up the guest room for her. I put a few of Sarah’s boxes in the storage closet downstairs."
"Thanks, man," Leo answers, giving him a quick handshake before addressing Liv. "You want to see your room?"
She peeks up at him and nods quickly.
"Okay, well, it’s not much right now, but you and Sarah can decorate it however you would like."
When Leo pushes the door open, the three of us let out a gasp in unison.