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“I wish you and Jules was my mom and dad,” Aria mumbles

Jules’s chest deflates, and she closes her eyes I break aze away fro the back of her hand, she wipes her nose as she looks at me with sorrowful eyes

“You don’t et better in a few days”

I hope like hell I’ to her

She pulls her stuffed bear closer to her chest “I don’t have Mr Waffles I left him at home”

Mr Waffles is the stuffed giraffe Theo got for Aria a few years ago She use

d to tote it around everywhere Mom’s had to restitch the head on a couple tiht on things

“How about I stop by torab it for you?”

She nods then turns quiet for a while after that, except for the occasional sniffle

“I’o to bed?”

I lean over and kiss the top of her head “I’ll go run the water for you”

I start off the bed, but stop when Aria says quietly, “I love you, Uncle Luca”

I closeback to her “I love you, too, Aria Never ever forget that Okay?”

“Okay”

I get up Just as I pass over the threshold, I hear Aria softly say, “I love you, Jules”