Prologue

“It's alright, Mason. You can come closer. Come, meet Kelsey” Miss Patty's melodic voice crossed the room to him.

Mason slowly and methodically planted each foot in front of the other until he was standing right beside where she sat on the couch. He peered into the wiggling bundle of pale pink swaddled cotton, and just as he saw her, she opened her eyes and looked right up at him. Suddenly his eight-year-old heart was tethered to this gurgling, angelic creature before him.

“She looks like a tiny little baby doll. Her face doesn’t look real. It’s so perfect… Like an angel...” he squeaked out, as the adults around him smiled and cooed.

He didn't understand. He had helped his mother birth countless horses before, so new life was not some magical, abstract thought. In fact, he had already read quite a bit about the subject in an article about fertility in one of his mom's old Reader's Digest.

He had been around his newborn cousins, and friends of his mother, too. Never before though, had he been drawn to a baby. In fact, he usually kept his distance. They cried a lot and had smelly diapers, and sometimes they spit up. Mason thought babies were kind of gross a lot of the time.

Then again, he had never been around a pregnant woman every day before, either. His sharp, young brain rationalized that perhaps it was because this was the first time he had been witness to the entire process of pregnancy, and with someone he cared so much about.

Mason had watched Miss Patty's belly grow from a tiny bump to a large, oblong watermelon. Mr. Lawrence let him help put together much of the baby furniture. He watched and felt Miss Patty's belly bubble and move, especially when he and Laura spoke to it. He was there when Miss Patty said it was time, and even helped Mr. Lawrence carry the bags to the car!

As he looked from Miss Patty to Mr. Lawrence, and then down to Laura, he realized that he felt like a part of the family. Though he loved his mom with all of his heart, and no one could ever replace her, Miss Patty had become like a second mother to him. She helped him with his homework and made him delicious meals when he didn't want to eat another TV dinner. Mr. Lawrence took him out back to the yard and taught him how to catch and throw, and how to ride a two-wheeler. Even Laura, at four, was like a little sister to him in many ways, as he recalled playing tea party with her a few times while Miss Patty finished grading papers. The feeling felt like a warm, fuzzy blanket, and he liked it.

“Would you like to hold her?” Miss Patty asked very softly.

Mason's eyes immediately darted to his mother. What would she say? Would she think he was careful enough to handle such a task? Did he?

“Go ahead, son, it's OK” his mother assured him.

“Uh, um, OK...” his voice was barely above a whisper.

Mason crossed in front of where Miss Patty was sitting, taking the now empty cushion, as Mr. Lawrence and Laura went to the kitchen for snacks. He sat beside Miss Patty, and she smiled so warmly at him that he suddenly couldn't wait to hold her daughter. He straightened up his back, and outstretched his arms, preparing for the weight of her. He paid special attention to holding Kelsey’s head like Miss Patty said to. Mason almost couldn't believe how light she felt, as Miss Patty pulled her arms out from under the swaddled babe now left in his alone.

Kelsey made all sorts of noises he had never really heard before, or at least, never noticed. She smelled different than the rest of the people around him, too- sort of like sweets, and flowers, and sunshine. Mason looked down at her tiny little face, and their eyes met once again. Suddenly Kelsey stopped making noises. She stopped wiggling inside her soft pink cocoon. Her eyes looked right in his and she smiled a large, toothless smile up at him.

Mason felt something he never had before, but he had an idea what it was. Though he felt a similar pull to that of Miss Patty and the others, with Kelsey something felt different; stronger. At that moment, as they silently smiled at each other, he felt a connection he knew would never be broken. He knew, from that day on, he would always protect this tiny angel.

“I'll always look after you, little baby doll...” he whispered down to Kelsey, as Miss Patty lovingly ruffled his hair.

Kelsey's eyes seemed to sparkle before they disappeared behind their heavy lids. She drifted back to blissful sleep in his arms, the smile etched into her tiny pink lips. A weighty and reverent feeling filled Mason's heart, as he felt the road of his young life abruptly change course…