The Arrangement | Book 2 | Completed

Epilogue: Part 3

Candace

"Sophie! Come here!" I yell for my youngest daughter down the hallway. Quickly after the words leave my mouth, I hear little footsteps running down the hallway.

Sophie comes barreling down the hallway, nearly running into me before she brings herself to a sudden halt.

"Be careful, love." I tell her, brushing her hair out of her face. Her bright green eyes stare up at me and with a smile I hand her my phone. "Your dad is on the phone. Him and Uncle Kyler want to FaceTime you and your sister." I tell her.

"She's in her room." Sophie tells me, taking the phone from my hand and bringing it up to her face. I listen to her talk to Matty and Kyler who both have her full attention.

Things have been different in the best way possible. Phoebe and Sophie get along so well for siblings that have nearly eight years apart from one another. The two girls are close, and I love that Phoebe is able to have a real sister instead of a parent figure.

I'm thankful that Phoebe was too young to really retain too much of the information. I'm thankful that she had me and Matty to raise her. Matty is an amazing father to our girls. Despite the fact that Phoebe is my little sister, she is mine in every way that matters. I'll never be able to replace our mom. That isn't something that i'm trying to do. But with the way that things have happened, Matty and I are all that Phoebe really knows. She remembers very vague memories of our father, but nothing that really holds any real value. She tells me that she remembers things like him standing in the kitchen and opening a carton of milk. She doesn't remember any of the bad things that happened, and i'm thankful for that. She doesn't even really remember what he looks like.

I am always supportive when she asks questions about our family. Sometimes she'll ask about how our father was before our mom died. Sometimes she'll ask about the kind of stuff he liked. Small details are the things she wants to know, and I always give her the truth. The truth is, I love our dad despite the selfish shit he put us through. I love our mom, too. I wish they both could have stayed with us for longer, but i'm thankful for the gift they left me with.

Phoebe was the ultimate gift. She is my constant reminder of my parents. She is a perfect imagine of the two of them. We both are. Matty and I had many difficult conversations regarding the titles that would be given to us once Phoebe was legally adopted. She loves Matty, and calling him her father was easy for her. At first, I didn't know if calling myself Phoebe's mother was appropriate, given our situation. But after talks with the agency and multiple therapists, they all told me the same thing.

The biology of all of this doesn't define our family. The love and care we provide is what define's our family. Matty and I are all Phoebe has ever known. Although she is my little sister by blood, she is our daughter at heart.

Nothing will ever change this.

We haven't told Sophie about our family history. Matty decided that eventually we'll have that talk but  it isn't the right time. She's too young to really understand.

"Mom?" Phoebe calls, walking down the stairs.

"In the kitchen!" I call out. 

Phoebe walks into the kitchen with her gym bag on her shoulder. She grabs a water bottle from the cabinet and begins to fill it with water.

"Tessa's mom is going to come and get me for practice." She tells me.

"Okay, that's fine. Your dad and uncle are on the phone with Sophie right now. Do you want to talk to him or should I have him call you after practice?" I ask.

"I'll talk to him. How much longer until he's home?" She groans. It's always hard when Matty leaves for business or to visit Kyler and Megan. We wanted to make a trip back to Vancouver to see them, but with Phoebe working towards early varsity cheer, it's hard to take any time away from home.