We got home and started packing. Tabitha came over to me, holding her plushies. She was looking forward to something. This was the only gift her father had given her all these years. I didn’t want to let her down, and the plushies did no wrong, so I let Tabitha stuff them into our suitcases.
She smiled, and I did as well. Then, someone came to the door. Tabitha and I raised our heads, surprise filling our eyes.
It must be Timothy.
And then our delight was destroyed. Willow and Nathaniel were right behind them. “Nathaniel’s down with a fever, and Willow can’t take care of him herself, so I’m letting them stay with us for a while,” he explained as he looked at me.
I would probably be crestfallen in the past, but now I knew how important Willow was to Timothy, so I felt nothing. Calmly, I nodded.
