“It’s absolutely beautiful, sweetheart,” I whispered, holding back my tears.
“Grandma, sometimes I really wish our family was a little bigger,” Harper admitted quietly as she played with her rabbit’s ears.
“Why do you say that, sweetheart?” I asked, stroking her hair.
“All my friends at school have lots of aunts and uncles and cousins,” Harper said, looking down at her socks. “I love you so much, but sometimes it gets a little lonely with just the two of us.”
“I know, baby,” I said as I pulled her close into a tight hug. “I wish things were different for us, too.”
“Do you think I’ll ever get to have a big family someday?” she asked hopefully.
I couldn’t bring myself to answer her question with a clear answer. I simply kissed her soft hair and stared at the velvet pouch sitting on the table.
Could I really keep her from seeing her dying grandfather when he only had weeks left on this earth? But what if meeting him only served to break her delicate young heart? Back then, I didn’t yet know that the trip would end up breaking my heart, too.
