Karla took the tissues Lorenzo offered and wiped the tears away from her face. The stories he was sharing were heartbreaking, and there was something comforting, if painful, in the bond of shared experiences. Karla would never in a million years wish what had happened to her on anyone... not even her worst enemy. And the knowledge of what Lorenzo had gone through was heartbreaking. When she'd wiped her eyes, she stood up from where she was sitting and walked over to Lorenzo, putting her arms around him in a momly hug. She just couldn't help it. She looked into his eyes, and saw Richie, and the thought of Richie suffering the pain that Lorenzo had been through broke her in a way that she couldn't even imagine. She hugged Lorenzo close to her despite the good eight inches of height he had on her. If not for the heavy emotion of the moment, it might have been comical how much height difference there was between Lorenzo and Richie, but Karla wasn't laughing right now. Pulling back out of the hug, she gave his arms a gentle squeeze. "For what it's worth, honey, you're Richie's brother, and you always have family with us as far as I'm concerned. I'm not your mother, and I know that, but I'm here for you and Holly. I want you to know that."
Little Holly was giggling in Uncle Richie's lap, and though this moment was intensely emotional for all of them, Karla couldn't help her own smile at the tiny girl. "You must bring your daddies so much joy, little one," she said to her, giving Lorenzo's hand a squeeze before she went over to kiss Richie on top of the head. "Your Uncle Richie is a lot like you in that," she said, gently tapping the end of Holly's nose with her finger tip. "He brought happy to me when I was sad, too." She shook her head and looked up at Lorenzo. "Thank you for meeting us and letting us meet your daughter, too. If there's one thing I know, its that, when you've seen the worst parts of the world, it's hard to let anyone new into your kid's life for any reason. It means the world to me that you're giving me and Richie a chance."
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Little Holly was giggling in Uncle Richie's lap, and though this moment was intensely emotional for all of them, Karla couldn't help her own smile at the tiny girl. "You must bring your daddies so much joy, little one," she said to her, giving Lorenzo's hand a squeeze before she went over to kiss Richie on top of the head. "Your Uncle Richie is a lot like you in that," she said, gently tapping the end of Holly's nose with her finger tip. "He brought happy to me when I was sad, too." She shook her head and looked up at Lorenzo. "Thank you for meeting us and letting us meet your daughter, too. If there's one thing I know, its that, when you've seen the worst parts of the world, it's hard to let anyone new into your kid's life for any reason. It means the world to me that you're giving me and Richie a chance."