“Because Mother Rosita said if I ever acted like I cared more for anyone else than for my mom, she’d get upset and jealous. And being upset and jealous just means you really care about someone.”
Jeannie frowned. “Mother Rosita?”
Irwin nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! I have two moms. One is the mom who’s raised me since I was born, that’s Briony. The other is the mom who gave birth to me, that’s Mother Rosita.”
Jeannie pressed her lips together, taking a moment to process this before asking gently, “Between your two moms, who do you like more?”
Irwin glanced around, then lowered his voice conspiratorially. “Honestly, I like the mom who raised me more. But I can’t say that out loud. Mother Rosita would get mad, and when she gets mad, it’s scary…”
A flicker of emotion crossed Jeannie’s eyes. Then she smiled and affectionately ruffled Irwin’s hair.
“I don’t know your Mother Rosita, but I think the most important thing for a child is to be honest. If you need your mom, you should be brave and tell her. You don’t have to act a certain way just to test her feelings. That kind of thing can actually hurt the people you care about, and it might even push them further away.”
Irwin stared at her in surprise. “Really?”
“Really,” Jeannie said warmly. “So, these past few days, you’ve been clinging to me and ignoring your mom on purpose? You were trying to test her?”
Irwin nodded sheepishly.
Jeannie let out a soft, helpless laugh. “I thought you just liked Ms. Radcliffe so much.”
“I do like Ms. Radcliffe,” Irwin admitted, sighing, “but a teacher isn’t the same as a mom. I love my mom–no one could ever replace her.”
Jeannie smiled, gently patting his head in encouragement. “In that case, next time you see your mom, don’t ignore her on purpose, okay? Let’s be honest and brave little ones, all right?”
“I got it,” Irwin promised.
After their talk, Irwin felt much better. He called Stewart to ask when his mom would be coming by.
Stewart told him Briony wouldn’t be coming today–she was ill.
The moment Irwin heard Briony was sick, he demanded to see her.
So Stewart came to pick him up, and the two of them headed out to visit Briony.
Briony really wasn’t feeling well.
For some reason, she’d been feeling exhausted the last few days. This morning, she woke up dizzy and drained of energy.
She’d been staying at her studio lately, thinking she’d wrap things up before heading to Silveridge in a few days. With so much to finish, she hadn’t gone back to Skybreeze Retreat at night.
James wanted her to go to the hospital, but Briony figured it was just the usual fatigue and dizziness that came with pregnancy–nothing worth making a fuss over.
Still, James worried she wouldn’t rest well at the studio, so he brought her back to Skybreeze Retreat. With Marlene and Gina around to help, he felt more at ease leaving Briony in their care.
Back at Skybreeze Retreat, Briony went straight to bed and slept until noon.
When she woke, Gina brought her a steaming bowl of homemade chicken soup. After finishing it, Briony broke
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Chapter 244
out in a light sweat and felt much more refreshed.
That’s when Stewart and Irwin arrived.
But they didn’t even make it inside.
James blocked the doorway, smirking at Stewart. “Bryn asked me to let you know she’s taught everything she needs to the new nanny. She won’t be coming to Southcreek Manor anymore.”
Stewart’s eyes narrowed. “She doesn’t have to come to Southcreek Manor, but Irwin heard she was sick and wanted to check on her.”
“Bryn’s perfectly fine! Not sick at all. But thanks for your concern–no need to trouble yourselves.” With that, James shut the door in their faces.
Stewart gazed at the closed door, his eyes dark and unreadable.
Irwin stood silent, head bowed, not making a fuss.
Stewart assumed he was upset and gave his hair a gentle ruffle before leading him away.
But Irwin wasn’t sad. He was just wondering–had the magic stone started working? When would Mom’s new baby finally go to heaven? He missed the days when it was just him and his mom so much.
On the drive home, Irwin mulled things over in the backseat until he drifted off to sleep.
When he woke, he found himself back at Southcreek Manor.
His dad was nowhere in sight; only Ms. Radcliffe was there to keep him company.
Irwin felt lonely. Ms. Radcliffe was nice, but it just wasn’t the same.
He couldn’t stop thinking about the magic stone. While Jeannie was making dinner, he quietly slipped away to
call Lauren.
“Grandma, when will that magic stone finally start working?”
Lauren’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Very soon, sweetheart. Have you seen your mom lately?”
“For the last few days, Mom’s come over every day to teach Ms. Radcliffe how to take care of me, but today she was sick and didn’t come.”
“Your mom is sick?” Lauren sounded almost excited.
“Yeah, she’s not feeling well. Dad and I went to visit, but she wouldn’t see us.” Irwin’s voice turned sad.
“Sweetheart, the magic stone is already starting to work,” Lauren said, her tone brightening. “Don’t worry. Grandma promises–the baby will be in heaven very soon!”
“That’s amazing! Grandma, you’re the best!”
“But remember, you mustn’t tell anyone about this,” Lauren reminded him. “If you do, the magic will stop right away.”
“I know, Grandma!”
“Alright, darling, Grandma’s busy now. Talk later.”
“Okay! Bye, Grandma!”
Irwin hung up, then happily ran downstairs to find Jeannie and play.
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Chapter 240
Stella was finally able to walk on her own again.
