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. One hot chocolate,coming up. Billie rose to her feet. You stay here in bed and getsome rest.I ll be back with your hot chocolate as soon as it sready.Billie returned to the kitchen, barely able to keep the grin offher face.While the hot chocolate was warming, she cleaned up thebreakfast dishes and washed the mess from the table and high chair.When the milk was ready, Billie poured it into a plastic travel mugand took it to Tara.Billie spent the majority of her morning loudly playing withSkylar, loud enough for Tara to hear.She checked on Tara oftenenough to keep her running back to her bed several times an hour.Billie noted that after about two hours of this, Tara gave up andstayed in her bed.270Billie brought lunch to Tara after she fed Skylar and put herdown for a nap.She put the tray of food down on the nightstandbeside Tara s bed and felt her forehead for the five-hundredth timethat day. Still no fever.That s a good sign.Tara was forgetting more and more often to act sick as shebroke out into a big smile at the sight of the food Billie brought.After her light fare at breakfast, Tara was hungry and it didn t takeher long to eat everything on the tray.Billie smiled again andcollected the dirty dishes. Tara, I m very proud of you.You mustbe feeling better.You ate everything on your tray. Do you think I m good enough to have cookies for dessert?Billie assumed a skeptical look. I don t know.Maybe weshould wait until this afternoon to decide.Let s give your stomach achance to digest what you ate before eating anything else, all right?Billie picked up her half-empty glass of hot chocolate and handed itto her. Here, finish up.Tara drank the milk and handed the glass back to Billie, ascowl etched firmly across her brow. Thanks, sweetie. Billie kissed her cheek and pulled thecovers up higher around her neck. I ll be back after I clean up thelunch dishes. When she finished washing the dishes and thecountertops, she folded the dishcloth over the edge of the sink andrested her backside against the cupboard.Boy, this babysitting washard work.All of this running around, back and forth between thekids.Phew, she was beat.* * *Tara sat with her back against the headboard and her armscrossed in front of her when Billie returned.Billie stopped in thedoorway and watched her for a few minutes.For the hundredth timeshe marveled at how much Tara looked like Cat.Billie noted the guilty expression on Tara s face as she lookedup.Billie continued to lean against the doorframe as she waited forher to make the first move. Mom, can I talk to you?Billie walked over and sat next to Tara on the bed.She leanedher back against the headboard and crossed her legs on the bed infront of her. Sure, honey, what s up?Tara leaned against Billie. I m not sick.Billie smiled and looked at Tara.She lifted Tara s chin withtwo fingers. I know.271Tara s eyes grew large. You know? Yeah.Do you want to tell me the real reason you didn t wantto go to school today?Tara looked at her hands in her lap.Several moments passedwith no response. Tara? Billie prompted.Instead of answering her question, Tara surprised Billie byasking one of her own. Mom, do you love me as much as you loveSeth and Sky?Billie was floored by the question.She pulled Tara into her lap,one leg on each side so they were facing each other.Billie liftedTara s chin to look into her face. Tara, I love you with all my heart.Yes.I love you as much asSeth and Sky.Sweetheart, why would you ask such a question? At school, we re starting this Christmas project and we had towrite the names of our brothers and sisters and moms and dadsdown to make cards. Tara paused, as though not sure how tocontinue. Go on. Some of the kids at school laughed at me  cause I have adifferent name than everyone else. She began to cry. What do you mean? How come my last name is O Grady, and Seth and Skylar andyou and Mama have Charland for a last name?Billie was dumbfounded.She d never given Tara s lone-namestatus a thought.It suddenly occurred to her how that might look toTara.Her heart broke. Oh, Tara, sweetheart. She pulled the cryingchild to her chest and held her close.Tara sobbed into her shoulder. The other kids said that you and Mama aren t my real parents.They said I m adopted.Billie pulled Tara away from her chest to look into her face. Tara, listen to me.You re not adopted, do you understand? Mamais your real mother.Sweetheart, you look exactly like her, and yoursister looks like you, too.You belong to Mama and me, I promise.Tara rubbed her eyes and looked at Billie. Are you my dad?Billie stared at her.God, where was Cat when she needed her?She took Tara s face in her hands. Tara, it takes a man and awoman to make a baby, right? That was explained in the bookMama bought that we read to you and Seth, remember?Tara nodded. Well, Billie continued. You know that Mama is your realmother, right?272Again, Tara nodded. And you know that I m not a man, right?Once again, Tara nodded. So you can t be my dad. No, honey, I m not your dad. Billie s voice was tinged withregret.Tears once again rolled down Tara s cheeks. Who is my dad?Billie pulled her close and kissed her head.She let Tara cry fora few minutes until she had calmed down.Once again, Billie heldher at arm s length. Tara, before you were born, Mama and her partner Shannonwanted a beautiful baby girl, so they went to the doctor and thedoctor helped them to have you. Is the doctor my dad? Tara asked. No, he isn t, Billie said [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]