Mia hugged Lily to her. The girl leaned into her, sniffling but keeping strong.
“I have to go help with arrangements,” Carter said. His voice was hollow. He patted Lily on the back, obviously still in shock himself. “Thank you for being here for her.”
He gave her shoulder a squeeze and looked at Mia.
“Go,” Mia whispered. She now felt guilty about having him keep his phone off all morning. He cared for Laura, and she knew that he was worried about her. He was a good boss.
“Thank you, Lily.” Carter nodded and patted Lily's shoulder one last time before pulling out his phone and heading into the house to see what he could do to help.
“Are you okay, Lily?” Mia asked, keeping her arms around the girl until Lily let go of her. Lily nodded and wiped her eyes.
“I just feel so bad for Laura. She's got a younger brother and sister.” Lily looked over to where her brothers were busy cleaning one of the stalls. “I can't imagine having to tell them.”
Mia's heart broke. Lily and Laura had grown close these past few weeks, and Mia knew how much Lily respected and looked up to the other woman. She pulled Lily back into her for another hug. Lily didn't resist, which told Mia that the teenager needed the affection. Mia wrapped her arms around her tighter and rubbed her back. It didn't take away the pain, but it was soothing.
“Is Laura going to be okay?” Lily asked her voice a whisper into Mia's shoulder.
“Laura is strong,” Mia assured her. “It's going to be rough, but she'll get through it. You're doing a good thing helping her here.”
Lily smiled up at her and took a deep breath. She pulled away, and Mia knew that she was going to be okay, too.
“I'm glad I can help,” Lily told her. “I'm glad Alexander and Grayson can help, too. Between the three of us and the trainer, we’ll keep things running for her. She taught me most of what she does, so I can at least keep things under control. It's one less thing she has to worry about for the moment.”
Mia warmed with pride. “You are all such good kids.”
Lily rolled her eyes but smiled and blushed. She shrugged and resettled herself. “Did you have fun on your weekend away? Margie said Carter took you someplace.”
Lily grinned. “He took me to Las Vegas. It was amazing.”
“Vegas? Nice,” Lily said. Her eyes narrowed. “So, are you two a thing now? Please tell me you married him there.”
Mia laughed. “I did not marry him.” Though, she thought of his offer and felt butterflies. “But, you want to know if we're dating?”
“Yeah.” Lily nodded. “Are you?”
“I think so,” Mia told her, thinking back to the weekend. They'd never officially discussed it, but there was no way after the weekend they'd just shared that they weren't some sort of couple.
Lily grinned. “Good. He's good for you, Mia.”
Mia looked at her surprised at her bluntness. “Thanks.”
“I'm going to get back to work,” Lily informed her, pointing to her clipboard. “Do you think we can stop and pick up some food to bring to Laura's house on the way home?”
“Definitely,” Mia promised.
“Thanks,” Lily said with a grin and then turned and started helping her brothers with the barn chores.
Mia was impressed. Lily was growing up so fast and doing a great job at it. She looked calm and collected as she checked her list and made sure that the barn and the horses were taken care of the way Laura would want. Mia had a feeling Laura would be pleased with the results. She made a mental note that Lily would need to spend more time here, as would the boys.
The idea of spending more time on the ranch made her happy. She wished it had come about differently, but she was going to take advantage of the opportunity. More time at the ranch meant more time with Carter. She looked over at Lily working one last time before pulling out her phone and looking for restaurants with takeout on their way to Laura's house.
Chapter 21
Mia
Mia sat at her desk and rolled her shoulders, trying to get the knot in the back of her neck to relax. There was still so much paperwork that needed to be done, as well as a special project from her boss she'd just been told about today. It felt like she still had hours to go, but it would never be enough.
Today had been a rough day. She'd been to court with one of her other kiddos, and it hadn't gone well. Her heart hurt with how much she wanted to help, but couldn't do to lack of resources. The kids needed and deserved so much more than she could give.