My granddaughter stopped speaking shortly after her father married my late daughter’s best friend. Then she slipped a note beneath her recordable stuffed bear and quietly pleaded with me to listen when her new mom was not nearby. I pressed play outside and nearly sank onto the sidewalk.

For some reason, that made me recoil inside.

“How long?”

Paige spoke before Brent had the chance. “A few weeks. The therapist said it’s an adjustment phase.”

Two months went by like that. Two months of visits where Sadie wrapped her arms around me but never spoke, where Brent looked worn down and Paige looked far too settled in Nora’s kitchen.

Then came the afternoon when the truth could no longer stay hidden.

Paige was washing dishes, humming softly, while I sat on the living room rug with Sadie as she colored. The instant Paige moved out of sight, Sadie climbed into my lap.

She pushed Mr. Buttons into my hands. A folded piece of paper had been tucked beneath the satin ribbon around his neck.

I opened it with care. The words were uneven, written in purple crayon.

“Listen when my new mom isn’t around.” Motherdaughter gifts

I looked at Sadie. She raised one finger and gently placed it over her lips.