Undeniable by C. A. Harms Page B

girl?” I asked as I looked up at Callie’s mom, who now stood before me. Meeting her under these circumstances was never what I had planned, but this woman was just like her daughter. She opened her home up to Zoey and Matthew over the last couple weeks without even a second thought.
    “They’ve both been perfect,” she said, looking between my niece and nephew.
    “Thank you, Mrs. Raine. I really appreciate you taking them in the way you have. It means a lot.” I stood up and offered her a smile.
    “Call me Mallory, and there’s no need to thank me. These two are the sweetest kids. I love having them around,” she assured me with a matching smile.
    “It looks like they’re wearing some new clothes,” I said as I looked over Matthew, who wore a superhero shirt I had never seen before. “Let me pay you back for what you spent.”
    I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my wallet. As I brought it around in front of me and began to fumble through it, she placed her hand over mine. “You owe me nothing. I’ve always wanted grandchildren. Callie has made me wait far too long to have little ones to spoil. I think I enjoy it more than them. Please, Jude.” She smiled brightly, and in that moment I saw a touch of Callie within her eyes. “Don’t take away the enjoyment I feel when I get to see their eyes light up. Just know it means the world to me that you’ve allowed me to be a part of their lives.”
    Before I could respond, Callie’s mother bent down and engulfed both Zoey and Matthew in a hug. “I’ll see the both of you later. Remember—” She pulled back, and her face now had a look of excitement. “—tomorrow we’re going to decorate those cookies we made today.”
    Zoey and Matthew lit up with excitement, and I couldn’t hold back my own smile. It was obvious Mallory now held a special place in their hearts. And then it hit me that the more people I allowed into their world, the happier they’d be. I had spent years keeping them to myself, making sure they’d be safe and never have to deal with rejection again after what their father had put them through. But in reality, I had sheltered them from the love they were now embracing.
    I vowed in that moment to never again push away those who cared for us, but to grab on tight and never let them go.
    “If you need anything, call. Don’t hesitate, Jude. Calvin and I are here whenever you need us.” Mallory leaned in and placed a kiss on my cheek. “Don’t be stubborn. Reach out.”
    I nodded as she stepped away and gave me a knowing grin. Callie had obviously talked to her mother about me. “Okay, thank you again.”
    “Anytime.” She tickled Matthew’s side and tapped the end of Zoey’s nose before stepping back and walking toward her SUV.
    “Can we see Mommy now?” Zoey asked. I looked over and found the two of them staring up at me hopefully.
    “Of course, but, um, can we take a little walk first?” I wanted to prepare them in hopes of making things a little easier to handle. I found a bench about ten feet away from the front entrance of the hospital and gathered one child on each side of me.
    “What’s wrong? Is Mommy okay?” Zoey’s sad, worried voice pulled at something deep in my chest. What was the best way to explain to two young children that their mommy wasn’t going to get better? But the last thing I wanted was for them to go upstairs and get scared when they saw Katelynn’s condition. I had to help them understand what they were about to see.
    “Your mommy is still very sick, sweetheart,” I began as I held them close. “Do you remember Charlie, the cat Mrs. Reames had?”
    They nodded, and I continued, carefully weighing out my words. “Remember when he got sick and we had to take him to the vet?”
    “Yes,” Zoey whispered. She stared up at me with a look of fear, and I fucking hated that we had to have this conversation.
    “Do you remember what the doctor said?”
    “Charlie was sick, and the sickness