Chapter 11: The Harbor at Tybee Island
In March, to celebrate the arrival of spring and the finality of the legal battles, Claire took Sophie and Toby to her family’s private coastal orchard on Tybee Island.
The property sat on a sandy bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean: ten acres of blooming peach trees, salt-marsh meadows, and a weathered cedar cottage with a wide wooden porch.
The sea breeze was warm, carrying the scent of salt spray and sweet peach blossoms.
Toby ran through the sandy grass with a kite shaped like a blue dragon, laughing as the wind caught the nylon wings, lifting it high into the azure sky.
Sophie walked beside Claire along the shoreline, holding a woven basket filled with smooth sea glass and conch shells.
""Miss Claire?"" Sophie asked, stopping to look at the rolling waves.
""Yes, my love?""
""Can I call you Mommy?"" Sophie asked, her voice quiet, shy, but filled with deep, hopeful reverence. ""Toby and I talked about it. We know our first mommy is in heaven... but we want you to be our mommy here.""
Claire stopped walking. She dropped to her knees in the wet sand, pulling Sophie into a fierce, tearful embrace.
""I would be honored, Sophie,"" Claire whispered, her voice thick with emotion. ""I would be honored to be your mommy for the rest of my life.""
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Toby came running across the sand, dropping his kite string, launching himself straight into their arms, the three of them laughing together as the ocean waves gently washed over their bare feet.
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