Malorie's POV:
"Hi, Mrs..."
"Lionel. But call me Eileen." I smile.
"Your kids are upstairs sleeping right now. All three of them. It's my birthday present to them." She smiles.
"Sweetheart, you're too kind. Can I hug you?" I nod, and she hugs me.
Their mom has dark, brown hair like Brie's. But the blue eyes like Baylie and Declan. She looks young, although she swears she's 40. Her youngest daughter, Mylie, is four months old and adorable.
And I love her already. I picked her up from the airport with daddy, and we sang fearless the whole way back.
"So.. I think I want you here when they wake up. Which.. that'll be difficult. Actually, no."
"What if we wait at a park somewhere and wait for Baylie to call you? Say we're all waiting. And then we walk in," she suggests.
"Yes. Perfect. Perfect. There's one right down the street. They said they're gonna wake up about 10.. so we go to daddy's house and spend like.. 2 hours there?" She nods.
"That works with me, sweetheart." We walk out.
"You wanna drive?"
"Yes!"
"Drive to the DMV. We'll get your license while you're at, miss 16 year old."
"Really?!"
"Yeah! Your daddy said I could take ya." She has that southern ring in her voice just like Baylie. I love it.
"Okay!" I say, grinning. We get in the car. I start it and back out.
"Tell me about you and Baylie." I smile.
"She's.. one of the best people I have ever met. I love her with my entire heart and I have since like.. the first week. She's.. grown so much from the horror she went through and I'm so proud of her."
"Your eyes light up when you talk about her."
"A friend of mine told me that, too." She smiles.
"It's true. I wouldn't want anyone else for my little girl. Who.. isn't so little anymore there is a hickey on your neck."
"Ah! Yeah.. birthday sex.." I mumble. She chuckles.
"It's cold in New York. But.. I'm glad your daddy is giving me a place to stay. He's very sweet."
"He is. He was my favorite parent and now he's my only parent I like." She smiles.
"You too, though! If it counts!"
"Of course it counts. Come on you're in love with my daughter." I smile.
"I am in love with your daughter. Like daddy is in love with Mylie.. more than me.." she laughs.
"He did volunteer to babysit fairly quickly!"
"Yeah! He did!" She laughs again.
"Thank you for doing this, Malorie. Really, I needed it. I've done nothing but wonder for the past 10 years."
"I want to say I know, but I don't. Really." I grab her hand.
"You're so strong, Eileen."
"I think I should be saying that to you, sweetheart."
"You haven't seen your kids in 10 years, Eileen. It's you."
----------
We're sitting at the park sitting in my car when Baylie FaceTimes me. I pick up.
"Hi Mal! Where are you?" She asks. Eileen's hand goes over her mouth.
"I'm on the way!" I say.
"Okay! I'll see you! I love you!"
YOU ARE READING
"Pretty Girl"
RomanceMalorie Abbott hates everything. Life especially. She feels as if she's alive just to suffer. Nothing is going good. She just got diagnosed with her 6th mental illness, and she has no hope. Baylie Lionel loves life. An optimist at the surface, she...
