She was softly pulling the hair away from Lilian's sweet face.
"You have such beautiful hair, little one," my mother murmured softly. Her eyes were full of a deep, warm kindness I hadn't seen even when I was a small child.
"Thank you!" Lilian smiled, offering the half-eaten cookie to my mother. "Do you want a bite, nice lady?"
"No, thank you, sweet girl," she smiled softly, wiping a spot of chocolate off Lilian's cheek. "You eat it."
I stood in the doorway, my chest tight with an overwhelming mix of emotions.
I cleared my throat and all four heads instantly turned to look at me.
"Superhero" Lilian cheered and jumped off the sofa and ran to me. She wrapped her tiny arms tightly around my legs and I immediately dropped to my knees and hugged her tightly against my chest. I buried my fa
