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Chapter 21
Inside Mud & Flame Ceramics, everything had finally calmed down.
Emily worked the clay with stiff, mechanical movements. Her knuckles were white from the pressure.
Ava sat quietly beside her, stealing glances every so often with a worried frown.
“Emily…” the little girl finally couldn’t hold back. Her voice was soft, and her eyes shimmered with concern. “Are you… really sad? You look like you’re hurting.”
Emily’s hands paused. She forced a smile. “No, sweetheart. I’m okay. Don’t worry about me. Just focus on finishing your bowl, alright?”
Nathan quietly set down a cup of water next to her.
“Maybe take a break?” he offered gently.
Emily shook her head and stared at the half–shaped bowl in her hands–crooked and uneven, just like the mess in her chest. Lucas and Lily’s tearful eyes haunted her thoughts, leaving a heavy ache in her chest.
“They looked thinner,” she murmured, almost to herself. “Lucas and Lily… they looked like they’d lost weight.”
Nathan said nothing. He simply stayed close, steady and quiet.
The sunlight streaming through the window glinted off Ava’s small ceramic bowl, giving it a warm, golden sheen.
“Uncle Nathan,” Ava piped up after a moment, eyes bright with an idea. “Let’s make Emily a gift!”
He tousled her hair affectionately. “Sure. What do you want to make?”
“A little house!” she declared with glee. “That way, Emily can have a new home!”
The words hit Emily square in the chest.
She looked at the little girl shaping clay with her tiny fingers, then at Nathan who guided her with gentle patience–and in that moment, she realized just how much these two had become a part of her world.
“Ava,” she asked softly, “why do you want to make me a house?”
Ava looked up with her big, clear eyes. “Because you’re sad. Uncle Nathan says a home should make you happy… so I want to give you a happy place.”
Emily’s eyes welled with tears again.
Nathan cleared his throat and awkwardly adjusted his glasses, his ears turning pink. “She’s just sharing her heart, Emily. Just kid talk.”
Emily shook her head and smiled, running a hand gently through Ava’s hair before turning her gaze to Nathan–warm and unwavering.
“Thank you. Both of you,” she said, her voice catching. “Meeting you… it’s been the greatest blessing.”
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Ava launched herself into Emily’s arms, wrapping her little arms tight around her neck.
“Then let’s stay together forever, okay? Just like a real family!”
Nathan’s hand froze mid–mption, clay slipping between his fingers. His eyes met Emily’s–and they both flushed.
“Ava,” he said with a sigh, “you can’t say things like that. It’s a lot to ask of Emily.”
“It’s okay,” Emily whispered, hugging Ava tighter. “I’d be honored to be part of your family.”
Two sets of eyes lit up at once, twinkling like stars.
As she looked at the small, messy–haired girl and the quiet man with soft eyes beside her, a smile broke across Emily’s face.
And for the first time in a long time, the ache in her chest… began to fade.
Chapter 21
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