The Billionaire's Little Matchmaker

Chapter 7: Elara's Secret Wish

By the third evening at the West house, Sienna could tell something was off with Elara. The little girl had been quieter than usual all day, sometimes just staring at the front door like she was waiting for someone who would never walk through it. Sienna's heart ached watching her. This five-year-old was carrying way too much sadness for someone so small.

After another dinner where it was just the two of them—Leonard came home late again, as always—Sienna took Elara upstairs to get ready for bed. They'd fallen into a routine by now: bath time, teeth brushing, pajamas, then story time until Elara's eyes got heavy.

"Miss Sienna," Elara said as she picked out her pink unicorn pajamas, "can I tell you something?"

"Of course, sweetheart. What's on your mind?"

Elara went quiet, her tiny fingers playing with the edge of her pajamas. "I had another dream about Mama today."

Sienna's chest tightened. Oh, baby.

"What kind of dream?"

"Mama was cooking in the kitchen," Elara said softly, her whole face lighting up. "She was wearing her blue apron—the one with the cat on it. Daddy was sitting at the table with his newspaper, but he kept laughing because Mama was telling him funny stories about her day. And I was in my high chair eating the pancakes Mama made just for me."

Sienna sat down on the edge of the bed, her heart breaking. This wasn't really a dream—it was a memory that Elara's little mind had turned into a dream because the truth hurt too much to remember.

"Sounds like a happy family," Sienna said gently.

"Yeah!" Elara nodded eagerly. "In the dream, we were all so happy. Daddy didn't have to leave for work super early, and Mama didn't... Mama didn't..."

Her voice trailed off. She couldn't say it, but Sienna knew what she meant. Mama didn't leave forever.

After Elara changed into her pajamas, they both climbed onto the bed for story time. But tonight was different. Instead of grabbing a book, Elara hopped down and went to the little table by the window.

"Miss Sienna, can I show you something?"

"Sure, honey."

Elara opened the drawer and pulled out a small photo in a silver frame. The picture looked worn from being touched so many times. When she handed it to Sienna, it nearly took her breath away.

The woman in the photo was absolutely beautiful. She had long brown hair and the warmest smile, with brown eyes that sparkled with love—the exact same eyes as Elara's. She wore a simple white dress and was holding a tiny baby with dark hair. Little Elara.

"This is Mama," Elara whispered, touching the photo so carefully, like it might break. "Mama's name was Isabella. She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"So beautiful," Sienna managed to say, her voice shaky. "You look just like her."

A little smile spread across Elara's face. "Daddy says that too. But Daddy doesn't talk about Mama anymore. When I ask about her, Daddy gets really sad."

Sienna felt her chest squeeze tight. Now she understood. Leonard was so broken from losing his wife that he couldn't even share happy memories of Isabella with their daughter. He thought if they didn't talk about it, the pain would go away. But instead, Elara was growing up with this huge empty space in her heart, while Leonard was drowning in his own grief.

"Mama loved me so much," Elara continued, hugging the photo close. "She always called me her little princess. She used to sing me lullabies while she played with my hair."

"What songs did she sing?"

Elara was quiet for a moment, then started humming in this tiny, sweet voice. It was a simple melody about stars watching over children while they slept. Her voice wobbled in some places, like she was trying so hard to remember exactly how her mama sang it.

When she finished, Elara looked at Sienna with tears in her eyes. "Miss Sienna, I miss Mama so much. But I can't tell Daddy because it makes him too sad."

Sienna pulled the little girl into her arms, feeling her small body shake as she tried not to cry. "Oh, sweetheart, it's okay to miss Mama. That's totally normal. And Daddy misses her too—that's why he gets sad."

"But I don't understand," Elara whispered against Sienna's shoulder. "If we all miss Mama, why can't we talk about her? Why is our house so quiet all the time?"

The innocent question hit Sienna like a punch to the gut. How do you explain to a five-year-old that grown-ups sometimes handle sadness in all the wrong ways? That her daddy was running from memories because he was scared of drowning in grief, when those beautiful memories should be giving him strength instead?

"Sometimes when people are really, really sad, they get confused about how to feel better," Sienna said carefully. "Daddy loves Mama just as much as before, but he doesn't know how to talk about her without feeling too much pain."

Elara nodded like she was trying to understand. Then she pulled back and looked at her mama's photo again.

"Miss Sienna," she said in almost a whisper, "can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course."

Elara sat cross-legged on the bed, holding her mama's photo with both hands. "Every night before I go to sleep, I talk to Mama. I tell her about my whole day, about how Daddy comes home late, about how Mrs. Chen makes yummy food but not as good as Mama's."

Sienna's eyes started filling with tears.

"And... and every night I ask Mama for help," Elara continued, her voice getting smaller. "I ask Mama to send me a new mama."

Sienna's heart literally stopped. "A new mama?"

"Uh-huh," Elara nodded like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Daddy is always sad. Our house is so quiet. I thought if we had a new mama, we could all be happy again. Like the families in the stories you read to me."

The tears started flowing down Sienna's face. God, this child was so innocent, so pure. She wasn't asking for toys or candy—she was asking for her family to be happy again.

"Do you think Mama can hear your prayers?" Sienna asked, her voice shaking.

"Mama definitely hears me," Elara said with such confidence it was amazing. "Mama's in heaven, and from heaven she can see everything. Daddy says people in heaven become angels who watch over us."

Then Elara stood up on the bed and knelt down beside it, placing Isabella's photo on the blanket. She folded her hands and closed her eyes, though she kept peeking at the photo.

"Beautiful Mama," she whispered, "today Miss Sienna made pancakes that were almost as good as yours. And Miss Sienna reads stories with such a nice voice, just like you did. Daddy is still sad, Mama. He came home late again and forgot to eat dinner with me."

Her little voice started shaking. "Mama, please send a new mama who's good like Miss Sienna. Someone who can cook yummy food, and read stories, and hug me when I'm scared. And someone who can make Daddy smile again."

Sienna had to cover her mouth to keep from sobbing out loud. This child's prayer was so pure, so heartfelt, it felt like it could reach straight up to heaven.

"And Mama," Elara continued, opening her eyes to look at the photo, "when we get a new mama, I promise I won't forget you. You'll always be my first mama who loved me the most. The new mama will just help take care of me and Daddy, okay?"

She kissed the photo gently and put it back on the nightstand. Then she climbed into bed and pulled her covers up to her chin.

"Miss Sienna," she said, looking at her with those big, innocent eyes, "do you think my prayer will come true?"

Sienna sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Elara's soft hair. "I'm sure your mama hears every single one of your prayers, sweetheart. And I know she wants what's best for you and Daddy."

"Do you think you could be my new mama?"

The question came out of nowhere, so innocent and hopeful that Sienna didn't know what to say. Elara was looking at her with such hope, like she was waiting for an answer that would change everything.

"Elara..."

"You're so nice, Miss Sienna. You cook really good food, and you read stories with the prettiest voice, and you give the best hugs when I'm sad. And... and I can tell that you get sad too when you see Daddy being sad."

Sienna was shocked. Was she really that obvious? Could this little girl actually see the feelings growing in her heart for Leonard?

"You love Daddy, don't you, Miss Sienna?" Elara asked with the kind of insight that seemed way too mature for a five-year-old.

"Sweetheart, grown-up feelings are complicated..."

"But you do love Daddy, right?" Elara pressed, her eyes so full of hope.

Sienna looked at that innocent little face, and for the first time, she admitted the truth to herself. Yes, she cared about Leonard. Yes, she wanted to see him happy. Yes, she wanted to be part of this broken little family and maybe help put the pieces back together.

"Yes," she whispered. "Miss Sienna loves Daddy and loves you too."

The biggest smile Sienna had ever seen spread across Elara's face. The little girl immediately threw her arms around Sienna's neck, hugging her like a tiny koala.

"Thank you, Miss Sienna! Now I know my prayer is gonna come true. Mama must have already sent us the perfect new mama."

Sienna hugged her back, feeling all the warmth and trust from this precious child. But underneath the happiness, there was this gnawing fear. What if Leonard could never open his heart again? What if she'd just end up being another disappointment in Elara's life?

"Time to sleep now, baby," Sienna said, tucking her in. "Sweet dreams."

"Miss Sienna," Elara said before closing her eyes, "tomorrow night can we pray together? That way the prayer will be stronger and reach Mama better."

"Of course we can."

Elara smiled and closed her eyes. Soon her breathing got slow and steady—she was fast asleep. Sienna sat in the chair next to the bed, watching this little angel who looked so peaceful.

Isabella's photo on the nightstand seemed to be looking right at her, and Sienna felt like she was having a conversation with the woman's spirit.

"Isabella," she whispered softly, "I don't know if this is what you wanted. I don't know if I'm good enough to take your place. But I promise I'll take care of your little girl and love her like she's my own. And if... if Leonard will let me, I'll try to help heal both of their broken hearts."

A gentle breeze came through the window, making the curtains flutter. For just a moment, Sienna felt like she'd gotten an answer—this warm, peaceful feeling, like Isabella was giving her blessing to her daughter's prayer.

Sienna stood up and kissed Elara's forehead softly. "Good night, little princess. I hope your dreams are full of happiness."

She turned off the light and headed for the door, but before closing it, she looked back at Isabella's photo one more time. The moonlight was shining on it gently, like the beautiful woman was smiling her approval.

"Thank you, Isabella," she whispered. "Thank you for letting me love your amazing daughter."

That night, for the first time since she'd started living in the West house, Sienna fell asleep with peace and hope in her heart. She was starting to believe that sometimes little prayers from pure hearts really could change everything.

And somewhere else in that big house, Leonard West sat in his dark study, staring at the family photo on his desk—the same one Elara had, but this one showed all three of them: him, a pregnant Isabella, with their hands touching her growing belly.

Without realizing it, he smiled a little, remembering that day. And for the first time in three years, the memory didn't bring that sharp, stabbing pain—instead, it brought a warmth he'd thought was lost forever.