More Than Love (NG3)

7 - Precious gift

I have reordered chapters 6, 7, 8. Chapter 6 published Tuesday is now 8. Make sure you don't miss any. This was chapter 8.

Sasha felt like she was dreaming. She waved to neighbors as they walked, but inside she was bursting. She kept saying in her mind, this is my daughter. Isn't she beautiful?'

Of course, she was beautiful. She reminded her of Jake, especially her blue eyes. How she had loved those eyes.

When they returned from the beach, Laney said, "I'm going to call my sister. You should..." She pointed to the gift.

Sasha looked at it, afraid of what might be inside. She suspected whatever the woman who raised her child had for her would be emotional. For that reason, she took it to her bedroom. Her bedroom and Reed's room were the only rooms she hadn't redecorated. Her room was still a Feng Shui calming blue. She felt close to Davis in the room they had shared on and off for twenty years.

Taking a deep breath, she sat on the edge of the bed. The wrapped box was heavy. She lifted the card and gingerly pulled it from its envelope. The front had an embellished, Thank You. Inside was a page full of uniform cursive.

As she read, the tears fell. Laney's mother used beautiful, heartfelt words as she thanked her for giving them their daughter. 'You have been with us like a guardian angel, as we took care of your most precious gift.'

Tears rolled down her eyes. She felt lucky her daughter had a wonderful mother, but it stung a little too.

Peeling back the floral print paper, she revealed an old boot box. Carefully lifting the lid, the box was full of envelopes. Each envelope had a year written on it. She lifted the one from the year Laney was seventeen. Inside was a newspaper clipping about the highschool art show and a picture of Laney smiling in her prom dress. Sasha wondered if she enjoyed her evening and who her date was. Every thought led Sasha back to Jake, who looked so handsome the night they went to their prom together.

Digging through, she came across a fuller envelope from the year of Laney's birth. Inside were pictures of the baby she remembered, the one she held and promised to always love and never forget. There were also dozens more photos as Laney changed over her first twelve months.

Each envelope represented a year she had missed of her daughter's life. Her mother kindly took the time to preserve some memories for her daughters' birth mothers. Sasha had no doubt there was a similar box for her sister on a shelf in a closet, perhaps. The older Laney got, the thinner the envelopes. It could be because her mother grew tired or there was less to document each year.

Sasha's belly rumbled, and she looked at the clock. It was one-thirty. Laney was probably starving. When she emerged with the box in her hand, Laney looked up from her sketch pad.

Sasha cleared her raw throat. "Did you know about this?"

She smiled weakly. "No, but I suspected when she handed me the gift. Should I feel embarrassed?"

Sasha shook her head and tried to smile. "No, it's the best gift I ever received, except for your letter and visit. Let's just say it's bittersweet." Taking a deep breath, she said, "You must be hungry. How do you feel about lobster rolls?"

Laney smiled. "I love lobster."

"Great! We can eat there or bring it home."

"There is fine."

Sasha smiled.

As they walked up, Sasha said, "We are a close-knit family. I have people in my life who I need to tell about my past. Can we say we're friends until I have a chance to tell them?"