I put my hand on Pip’s shoulder. “I think they love you as best they can, your Daddy especially. He didn’t want you to stay with the men. He even came in the house to ask me not to let you go. I could tell it scared him, but he did it anyway.” I peered at him, trying to decide what to say. “But sometimes other things make it so they don’t know how to love you very well.”
Pip nodded, his face serious and pale. “What happened to my Mommy?”
The exact question I didn’t want to answer. I let out a breath, shaking my head. “It’s her story, and not for me to tell. Maybe she’ll tell you someday.” I doubted it, but it might keep his questions at bay.
“But why? Everyone else knows. They look at me and whisper when they think I can’t see.”
“I’m sorry. I really am. You deserve to know. But ... may
