The three women all surrounded her with tight hugs and offers of encouragement.
“He’d be so very proud of Camille,” Charlie Grace said.
Reva squeezed Lila a little tighter. “You’ve done a marvelous job with her, Lila. And all on your own.”
Lila sniffed and glanced among her girlfriends. “Well, not entirely on my own. You’ve all been in my corner. I love you girls so much.”
“Same,” stated Reva. “You’ve all been there for me time and time again. When Merritt crushed me by leaving, and most recently with me deciding to foster little Lucan.”
Charlie Grace nodded. “Do I need to remind you who built my website for Teton Trails? Do you think I would ever have been brave enough to step out into that new venture without the support of you three?”
Capri added her own comment. “How about all those nights I spent at your houses back when I was a kid and Dick was drinking and out of control?”
The four women stood in that embrace for several seconds, for in the end it was the love and support they found in each other, the understanding and acceptance, that were their greatest strengths, their most precious treasures.
“We’re friends, real friends,” Reva stated. “And that means, no matter what life brings, we’ll still be here.”
30
Morning rumbled in with a distant clap of thunder and put an end to Reva’s sleepless night. She rose from her bed, groggy and feeling exhausted, and opened the window slightly. A brisk, northerly wind carried the scent of rain through the tops of the pines. She basked in the aroma long enough to clear her head, then slowly pushed the window frame closed before the chill filled the room.
Lucan was coming down with a cold. He’d coughed most of the prior night and his nose was stuffy, which prompted her to get up in the middle of the night to scan the internet for potential remedies. With so many conflicting choices, she’d finally given up and called Charlie Grace who promptly told her to rub the tiniest bit of vapor rub and place a warm wet washcloth on his chest. The treatment provided instant relief and Lucan fell into a deep sleep.
Even then, Reva could barely bring herself to place him back in his toddler crib. Instead, she carried him to her own bed and cradled him against her body, laying her head on top of his soft curls until she, too, dozed off.
From the moment she’d held Lucan for the first time, a flood of emotions overwhelmed her—joy, fear, and a profound sense of responsibility. No amount of reading or advice could have prepared Reva for the reality of motherhood. Every cry was a mystery, every smile a triumph.
She doubted every decision, from how tightly to fasten his car seat to deciphering the hunger cries from the tired ones. The nights blurred into days, and the exhaustion was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. Especially when she had to juggle motherhood with so many responsibilities.
Yet, with each passing day, she learned. Reva grew alongside Lucan, discovering strengths she never knew she possessed and a love so deep it anchored her through the storm of uncertainty. Motherhood, with all its challenges and without prior experience, had been her greatest teacher, showing the depths of her resilience and the boundless capacity of her heart.
In a nutshell…she adored this little boy beyond anything she could ever have imagined.
So, when her phone dinged on her way downstairs, she never could have contemplated the terror a three-lined message from his social worker could bring—even when she knew deep down this day might come.
“Reva, we’d had an unexpected development with Lucan. You need to bring him to the office this morning along with his things. I’ll explain when you get here.”
Her heart pounded against her chest wall as her mind raced through possibilities and what the message could mean. “…and bring his things.” That couldn’t be good.
Her mind went into autopilot as she took a deep breath. First things first. She’d need a shower, and she’d have to feed and dress Lucan. Then they’d make the trip to Jackson and find out what all this was about.
She fought valiantly to maintain her composure, yet her hands trembled as she selected a pair of tiny jeans and a long-sleeve shirt adorned with a puppy, his cherished outfit. The puppy emblem, soft to the touch, featured a tail designed for gentle strokes.
With a resolve to stay strong and not preemptively worry, she made her way to the shower. As hot water cascaded down her back, she lathered her hair, pondering whether any family had been discovered, apart from a grandfather behind bars.
Inwardly, she harbored a selfish hope that no other relatives would come forward.
For a fleeting moment, as she later secured Lucan in his car seat and arranged his bags in the back, the thought of reaching out to her friends crossed her mind. The prospect of facing potentially devastating news without Charlie Grace, Lila, and Capri seemed daunting.
However, after a moment of reflection, she decided not to. They would undoubtedly rally to her side, but without knowing the specifics of the situation, it was premature to disrupt their lives.
Instead, she chose to confront whatever awaited her solo. She would attend the meeting with the social worker and face whatever challenges lay ahead, armed with the knowledge that she could call on her friends if the need arose.
Despite her resolve, Reva’s mind wandered into crazy places on the drive to Jackson.
The prospect of saying goodbye to Lucan was not just about parting with the child she had grown to love; it was also about confronting the realization that she wanted to be his legal mother. This unexpected chapter in her life had shown her a future she now yearned for—a future that included Lucan, and possibly more children, laughter, and the chaos of family life.
As Reva considered potentially handing Lucan over to someone else’s care, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss for the life she was only just beginning to imagine for herself. The journey with Lucan had been a gift, offering her a glimpse into a part of herself she was now unwilling to ignore. Regardless of what the future held, this experience had irrevocably changed her, highlighting a desire for motherhood that would shape her decisions moving forward.
