Chapter Nine

"Daddy!"

Sonny smiled as his two children ran into his arms. He hugged them both.

"Hey there." He said affectionately. "I've missed you."

"We've missed you too!" Michael and Addie chimed in unison.

"Hey, I've missed you guys too!" Carly chimed.

Michael and Addie ran to her.

"Mommy!"

"Aunt Carly!"

Carly gathered the children close to her for a long moment. Once she released them, she turned to Michael.

"How would you like to spend the afternoon with me?" Carly asked him.

"Yeah!" Michael said enthusiastically.

"Me too?" Addie chimed in.

Carly shook her head. "No Darling, you're going to spend time with Daddy, okay?"

Addie nodded. "'Kay."

Sonny smiled at Addie as Carly and Michael left the room.

"Give Daddy a few minutes and then he'll take you across the hall and show you the surprise he has for you." Sonny told his daughter.

Her brown eyes so like her mother's lit up. "A surprise?"

Addie loved surprises.

Sonny smiled affectionally. "Yes, a surprise."

The very best of surprises, or at least he hoped so.
***

"Look at you!" Brenda cried as she hugged Robin.

She had waited upstairs for a few minutes, to give Jason and Robin time for a private reunion, but had come downstairs as soon as Robin called for.

"You look great." She said sincerely.

Robin smiled. "Thanks, you look fantastic yourself. I still can't believe I'm seeing you."

"Me neither." Brenda confessed, hugging her friend once more. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too." Robin told her. "We have a lot to catch up on."

"We do." Brenda agreed. "Later."

Just then there was a knock on the door. Brenda held her breath, knowing what was on the other side.

Jason opened the door and let Sonny and Addie in.

Brenda stared at her baby girl with tears in her eyes.

"Addie." She whispered emotionally. She was even more beautiful than Brenda had imagined.

Addie just stared at her and then looked up at Sonny. "Daddy?"

Sonny knelt down so that he was on the same level as the little girl. "Honey, remember how I told you your Mommy had to go away, even though she didn't want to? And how if she could come back, she would?"

"Yes." Addie said softly.

"Well, she was finally able to come back." Sonny said quietly. "She didn't think she would be able to, but she was."

Addie looked at Brenda then with wide eyes.

"You're my Mommy?" She whispered.

Brenda nodded. "I am and you're my baby girl."

Addie ran into her arms. "Mommy!"

Brenda gathered her child into her arms. "Oh Addie, my baby."

Brenda was barely aware of Robin and Jason leaving the room, all her attention was focused on her child. After so many years, she was finally able to hold her.

"Oh, how I love you baby girl." She whispered. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too." Addie said softly.

Brenda smiled tearfully at her child and just held her close. She wondered how she would ever be able to leave her now that she finally found her again.
***

Carly listened to Michael's excited chatter, all the while wondering how the scene across the hall was going.

She wondered how Addie had reacted to see her mother alive and well.

She didn't have to wonder about Brenda's reaction. As a mother, she could only imagine how hard it had been for the other woman to leave her child and the joy that she felt at having her back.

A joy matched by the agony that Carly felt at losing Addie.

She knew it was silly, but that it was also true.

Even though she was never Addie's mother, she had been the maternal figure in the little girl's life. Now she was losing that role to Brenda.

Addie was Brenda's daughter and she always would be.
***