I didn’t blame them.
I only wished someone had protected them, too.
Just then, Lily climbed onto my lap.
“Story?”
“Which one?”
“The Bunny one.”
I picked up her favorite book.
Halfway through, she looked up at me.
“Mama Rose?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“I love our home.”
I kissed her forehead.
“I love our home, too.”
And in that moment, I finally understood something.
I hadn’t rescued Lily after five families decided they didn’t want her.
I had welcomed a little girl who had been caught in a battle she never chose.
My job wasn’t to win that battle.
It was to make sure she could grow up without ever having to fight it herself.
