Book Two: KOTLC One-shots and More

Daughter (Edaline POV)

A/N: @jasmeenmariam requested a chapter depicting the early days of Grady and Edaline growing closer to Sophie.

This was so much harder than Edaline would have imagined it to be.

If she had known, years and years ago, that she'd be asked to take in a young child, new to their world, alone, and essentially orphaned...

Edaline would have jumped at the chance. She would have loved to see the way Jolie would step in and help them shelter and care for Sophie.

Then they lost Jolie, and merely surviving each day without her took all of Edaline and Grady's energy.

Even so, when Alden called them and asked...they couldn't say no. They wanted to help her, truly, and she was a really sweet and respectful kid.

But she needed more than just someone to feed her and clothe her and give her a place to live.

She needed to be loved. To be cherished.

And it was so hard to do that.

Not because Sophie was in any way unlovable. In fact, it was clear right away how easy it would be for them to love her.

And that terrified Edaline.

To love a child, to have another daughter, was to open herself up for the potential for another loss. Especially since there was so much uncertainty surrounding her very existence.

It wasn't just death that they had to fear.

Who were her biological parents?

And at what point would they come back for her? Stake their rightful claim on her and take her away?

What would that do to Edaline and Grady if they'd already begun to love her?

But to be around Sophie...it was impossible not to.

Grady had told Edaline how, at the very first meeting, Sophie had been able to intuit that Verdi was in pain.

That was very endearing, but it also sent little shockwaves of pain coursing through Edaline's veins.

Jolie had always been good with the animals. It was hard not to be--she'd grown up living in an animal rehabilitation center, after all--but for Sophie to be like Jolie even in such a small way...

It was painful to remember.

And yet...it was beautiful to remember.

Edaline saw for herself Sophie's way with animals when she brought Edaline the dying imp.

She'd grabbed Edaline's arm in anticipation while watching to see how the imp would respond to Edaline's treatment. And it had been so reminiscent of countless little moments she'd had when Jolie was a child. It felt, for the first time, like mother and daughter working together, bonding.

It was the first time that Sophie felt more like a daughter and less like a ward.

And Edaline truly didn't understand how it could hurt and heal so much at the same time.

That night, for the first time, Edaline had reached out and gently stroked Sophie's face, tucking her hair behind her ear. Finally giving in to the motherly instincts that had laid dormant for so long.

She was falling in love with the idea of being a mom again. It was scary, and it still felt difficult and even unnatural in many ways, but having someone to love and look after was something she'd deeply missed.

She couldn't have Jolie back. But she could choose to open her heart again and give this girl not only a home, but a family.

So that night, as they were climbing into bed, she discussed it with Grady.