hairbrush halfway to her head. “No, he’s trying them out on himself. Henry said his father’s thinking of changing his first name, too, just like he changed his last name from Penhope to Oceanus. Only his dad said it’s got to be a noble name, befitting his… lineage or something.”
“I hope you told Henry that
Henry
is a lovely name,”Olivia said, plopping down on the hamper at the realization the boy had been serious yesterday in the truck. But what was wrong with the name his dear dead mother had given him—other than its not being
noble
enough? Was Mac trying to erase Cordelia from Henry’s life completely?
“Mom?” Sophie asked, suddenly serious. “If you ever got married again, would I have to change my name, too, like Henry did?”
“No, sweetie. Until the day you get married you will always be Sophie Baldwin—and even then you don’t have to take your husband’s last name if you don’t want to.”
“You changed your last name to Daddy’s.”
Olivia took the hairbrush out of her hand, turned her around, and started working the tangles and several pieces of hay out of her hair. “Yes, I did, because I loved your daddy so much I wanted everyone to know I was his.”
“And I love him so much that I’m never changing my name to some other man’s,” the girl said with all the conviction of a loyal daughter. She turned with a frown. “I don’t think Mac should make Henry change
both
of his names, because that would be like his mama never even existed.”
Olivia was too tired to stop herself from wincing; Lord, she hated hearing Sophie call adults by their first names. Growing up she had addressed everyone, even whichever foster parents she’d been living with at the time, as Mr. and Mrs. So-and-So.
But she’d lost that particular battle to Eileen when Sophie had started talking. Olivia wondered how she managed to stand upright, considering she didn’t have much of a backbone sometimes. She’d certainly been lacking several vertebrae today—which is why a tall, ruggedly handsome man with short dark hair and intense green eyes was going around calling her
boss
now and was responsible for her wanting to fall asleep right here in the bathroom.
Spending the day hiding from a fantasy was exhausting.
“Mom, are you listening to me? I asked if Mac and Henry can come with us on our picnic tomorrow.”
“But that’s supposed to be our special you-and-me time, sweetie. I thought you looked forward to our time alone together.”
“It would only be just this once,” Sophie said. “When I told Henry I couldn’t play with him tomorrow because we were going on a picnic, he suddenly got all teary-eyed and said he used to go on picnics with his mama all the time, too. But when he suggested going on one to his father, Mac said maybe they would sometime, only they never have. And I thought if Mac saw how much fun picnics are, he’d start taking Henry every Sunday just like you take me.”
Heaven help her, Sophie was turning into Eileen!
The girl cupped Olivia’s face in her tiny hands and looked directly into her eyes—exactly like Eileen did when she was primed for battle. “Please, Mom, can we take them with us just this once? Your big old sappy heart would have just melted today if you’d seen how sad Henry got. He misses his mama so much, and he… he asked me how I got over missing my dad.”
“And what did you tell him?” Olivia asked past the sudden lump in her throat.
Sophie dropped her gaze to her hands on Olivia’s cheeks, her own baby-soft cheeks turning pink. “I told him I was really little when Daddy died, and that before then I can only remember bits and pieces because he was gone most of the time.” She looked up. “I asked Henry if he had any pictures of his mom, but he got all teary-eyed again and said he hadn’t been able to bring anything from home because his uncles had stolen him out of his bed in the middle of the night.” Her own big brown eyes grew misty. “Isn’t
“I hope you told Henry that
Henry
is a lovely name,”Olivia said, plopping down on the hamper at the realization the boy had been serious yesterday in the truck. But what was wrong with the name his dear dead mother had given him—other than its not being
noble
enough? Was Mac trying to erase Cordelia from Henry’s life completely?
“Mom?” Sophie asked, suddenly serious. “If you ever got married again, would I have to change my name, too, like Henry did?”
“No, sweetie. Until the day you get married you will always be Sophie Baldwin—and even then you don’t have to take your husband’s last name if you don’t want to.”
“You changed your last name to Daddy’s.”
Olivia took the hairbrush out of her hand, turned her around, and started working the tangles and several pieces of hay out of her hair. “Yes, I did, because I loved your daddy so much I wanted everyone to know I was his.”
“And I love him so much that I’m never changing my name to some other man’s,” the girl said with all the conviction of a loyal daughter. She turned with a frown. “I don’t think Mac should make Henry change
both
of his names, because that would be like his mama never even existed.”
Olivia was too tired to stop herself from wincing; Lord, she hated hearing Sophie call adults by their first names. Growing up she had addressed everyone, even whichever foster parents she’d been living with at the time, as Mr. and Mrs. So-and-So.
But she’d lost that particular battle to Eileen when Sophie had started talking. Olivia wondered how she managed to stand upright, considering she didn’t have much of a backbone sometimes. She’d certainly been lacking several vertebrae today—which is why a tall, ruggedly handsome man with short dark hair and intense green eyes was going around calling her
boss
now and was responsible for her wanting to fall asleep right here in the bathroom.
Spending the day hiding from a fantasy was exhausting.
“Mom, are you listening to me? I asked if Mac and Henry can come with us on our picnic tomorrow.”
“But that’s supposed to be our special you-and-me time, sweetie. I thought you looked forward to our time alone together.”
“It would only be just this once,” Sophie said. “When I told Henry I couldn’t play with him tomorrow because we were going on a picnic, he suddenly got all teary-eyed and said he used to go on picnics with his mama all the time, too. But when he suggested going on one to his father, Mac said maybe they would sometime, only they never have. And I thought if Mac saw how much fun picnics are, he’d start taking Henry every Sunday just like you take me.”
Heaven help her, Sophie was turning into Eileen!
The girl cupped Olivia’s face in her tiny hands and looked directly into her eyes—exactly like Eileen did when she was primed for battle. “Please, Mom, can we take them with us just this once? Your big old sappy heart would have just melted today if you’d seen how sad Henry got. He misses his mama so much, and he… he asked me how I got over missing my dad.”
“And what did you tell him?” Olivia asked past the sudden lump in her throat.
Sophie dropped her gaze to her hands on Olivia’s cheeks, her own baby-soft cheeks turning pink. “I told him I was really little when Daddy died, and that before then I can only remember bits and pieces because he was gone most of the time.” She looked up. “I asked Henry if he had any pictures of his mom, but he got all teary-eyed again and said he hadn’t been able to bring anything from home because his uncles had stolen him out of his bed in the middle of the night.” Her own big brown eyes grew misty. “Isn’t
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