Page 35 of Savoring Sienna
“Bath time!” Gloria clapped her hands, almost upending her milk. “Uncle C! You pro’sed last time.”
“I did? About what this time?” Crone leaned back in his chair, pretending ignorance.
Gloria’s mouth opened around a disbelieving, “Oh.” Then she slapped her hand on the carpet. “’Bout de bubbles. De biggestest ever!”
“Oh, lord help me,” Moira said with a groan. “Not that again.”
“And boats!” George added. “De ones dat go zoom!”
Sienna’s breath caught, but she couldn’t help but smile at Crone’s theatrical sigh. “Don’t you two ever get tired of turning me into a water park?” he groaned, even as he was standing.
“Nope!” The twins chorused with Gloria already tugging at his hand while George ran ahead, making engine noises.
“Aunty Si hasta come too,” Gloria declared and grabbed her hand with sticky fingers. “She hasta get a bubble crown.”
The bathroom quickly transformed into a maritime disaster zone. Toy boats conducted epic races while Gloria gave Mr. Hoppy swimming lessons and George provided sound effects for his aquatic T-Rex that somehow kept defeating the naval forces.
“Look!” Gloria stood up, covered in bubbles. “I’m a snow princess!”
“I’m a sea monster!” George disappeared under the suds, emerging with a bubble beard.
Sienna found herself laughing so hard her sides hurt, even as water soaked through her shirt from their enthusiasm. Before heading downstairs, she wrapped her arms around Crone’s equally drenched form.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I didn’t know I could still feel this... this alive.”
He placed a tender kiss on her forehead. “You’ve always been alive, kitten. You just needed reminding.”
In their absence, the living room had been transformed into a cozy nest of blankets and pillows. Crone handed her a steaming mug of hot chocolate. Gloria immediately zeroed in on the marshmallows.
“Look! Pink clouds!” she declared as she climbed into Sienna’s lap without hesitation. “Like when Elsa makes her castle.”
George sprawled across Crone with his dinosaur tucked under one arm and Mr. Hoppyborrowedfrom Gloria under the other. “Uncle C’s hot choc’s de bestest ’cause dere’s ’xtra clouds.”
The little girl’s warm frame settled against Sienna. The innocent trust and natural affection pierced her heart with bittersweet longing. She would never experience this with her own child, never feel a small body curl trustingly against her, heavy with approaching sleep.
Crone’s hand found hers in the dim light, squeezing gently. When she looked at him, his eyes held understanding and a promise that she wasn’t alone in this moment of grief wrapped in joy.
“I like your cuddles, Aunty Si.” Gloria twisted to pat Sienna’s cheek. “Soft ‘n warm like my ’pecial blankie. Almost good as Uncle C.”
“Almost?” A wobbly smile crossed Sienna’s face as her unsteady hands gentled through the little girl’s wild curls.
“Uh-huh. Uncle C’s bestest ’cause he’s a big bear.” Gloria demonstrated by spreading her arms wide. “But you smell pretty, like Mommy’s flowers.”
“Uncle C gives de bestest piggyback rides too,” George mumbled around a yawn.
“Shh!” Gloria suddenly sat up straight. “Elsa’s gonna sing.”
They watched the movie through a stream of commentary. Gradually, their chatter grew slower, punctuated by yawns, until both twins were heavy-limbed and drowsy.
“One more song?” Gloria’s eyes were drooping even as she pleaded when Moira declared it was bedtime. “Please, Mommy? I’m not sleepy yet…” She snuggled deeper into Sienna’s embrace.
“Me too,” George protested, though he was practically melted across Crone.
The ache in Sienna's chest shifted slowly, the sharp edge she had grown accustomed to softening into gentle warmth. Motherhood might forever remain beyond her reach, yet her heart still held room enough for this kind of love.
Later, standing beside Crone’s truck in the cool evening air, Sienna was almost drunk on the emotions swirling through her. She still felt the phantom warmth of Gloria’s sleepy form against her with her shirt bearing traces of sticky fingerprints and spilled hot chocolate, but none of that mattered. Having been accepted into their special, private little world meant more than she could ever have imagined.
“Nighty-night, Aunty Si!” Gloria called from the porch where she was wrapped in her princess blanket. “You hafta come back ’morrow ’cause Mr. Hoppy misses you.”
