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Jacqui tilted her head and regarded him She finally nodded, more slowly this time

The old ood for your new parents, and be happy”

Jacqui thought about that “That’s two things”

He laughed “So it is But I hope you’ll be both”

He patted her on the head, his hand lingering for just a moment “And whatever else happens, take care of that bear, Jacqui”

Jacqui squeezed the bear again and nodded, quickly because she was done talking and wanted to go play with her new friends again She ran off, looking over her shoulder once to see the oldaway

Chapter 12

Jacqui

Jacqui woke up slowly, half reave her a present…a stuffed animal?

Resting on her side, Khizar’s ar on her skin, Jacqui was so happy She knew she’d found the man she’d always hoped to find All her doubts had been erased with his proposal—

But so at her ht She had a great-uncle Or, rather, she’d had a great-uncle

Losing another fa was that she hadn’t known she had another family member It was hard to miss someone she hadn’t been acquainted with, but she keenly felt the loss of another connection to her parents

Who was Bill Bauer? An ie flashed in Jacqui’s mind of a sad-eyed bear who looked like a sad-eyed man

She slipped out of bed, not wanting to wake Khizar up just yet, as the sun was only just up She threw on a robe, picked up her phone, and went into the kitchen to start coffee Needing answers, she decided to call her adoptiveabout the old man

“Hi, sweetie,” her mom answered, her voice thick with sleep

“Hi, Mom I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“Oh no, I just got up, actually Is everything okay, hon?”

“Do you rehth birthday? There was a party, with a bunch of kids, and a tra to think of all the details from her dream