15:16
Chapter 27
Chapter 27
“Mia is mommy’s little darling.” Tia Clark beamed with a smile. “Being a boyfriend is quite a challenging job. Let Uncle take over that role.”
“Alright-”
“Mia should start preschool soon,” Simon remarked as he drove. “Shall we look for one come spring?”
“There’s no enrollment this quarter,” Tia Clark sighed with a hint of resignation. “We’ll have to wait until we’re back in Southvale.”
Even birds that endure the cold still yearn for spring. No matter what, the warm embrace of Southvale was where Tia Clark longed to be. She grew up there, and it wasn’t until she met Nathan in college that she decided to settle here.
Given the choice, she wouldn’t stay here any longer than necessary.
Six months later…
“Please, you have to come, sis,” Sophie pleaded over the phone, sounding pitiful. “I don’t have many friends, and without you, the table will look so empty!”
Tia Clark was busy playing with watercolor paints alongside Mia, and she couldn’t help but chuckle at her sister’s dramatics. “No way, you little rascal. You have plenty of friends.”
“Don’t pay attention to her,” Simon interjected with a bemused sigh, extracting a block from Mia’s mouth. He glared playfully, but Mia only stuck out her tongue in defiance. “Tia, do you want to go?”
“Of course, it’s your cousin’s wedding.”
“Sophie!” Mia snatched the phone enthusiastically. “Are you really getting married? Who’s the groom?”
Sophie, amused by Mia’s excitement, chuckled despite herself. She never imagined she’d end up with a gossip–loving man who always had his ear to the ground. “It’s Lucas! Mia darling, would you like to be my flower girl?”
“What do I get for being the flower girl?” Simon quipped from the background.
“Brother!” Sophie groaned dramatically. “Other brothers would be eager to help their sisters save for a dowry, and here you are trying to milk Mia for cash!”
“Two thousand,” Simon stated flatly, “take it or leave it.”
Sophie gritted her teeth. “Fine! Fine! You win! I’ll have Lucas sell a kidney. He’s already scraping by trying to pay off the mortgage…”
“Quit the sob story,” Simon quickly handed the phone back to Mia. “Tell Auntie thank you and wish her a happy wedding.”
Mia complied sweetly, and after Sophie’s begrudging praise about her being the prettiest flower girl, the call ended abruptly.
Tia Clark couldn’t help but laugh. Perhaps it was the Lawrence family’s sense of humor running through their veins. Mia, whom she’d raised to be calm and gentle, somehow had grown into a spirited firecracker.
She kissed Mia’s cheek. “Alright then, our Mia is so beautiful, it’s really a favor to Lucas.”
Simon had bought a house in Baycrest City, and Mia had smoothly transitioned into preschool there. Although she started a year later than most kids, she was never shy or timid, thriving and full of life.
Sometimes, watching her, Tia Clark would think of a face from her memory, now softened by time.
15.16
