It simply seemed easier.

From the beginning, I made it clear that Leah was coming with me.

She had attended plenty of family events already.

Holidays.

Birthdays.

My niece’s kindergarten graduation.

She had always been polite and helpful.

Honestly, she handled my family’s chaos better than I did.

But not everyone had accepted her.

My older sister Paige was especially distant.

She smiled at Leah in person, then made little comments after she left.

My brother Jordan once joked that some women “move into a family pretty quickly” while Leah was sitting right there.

I called him out.

He laughed and said he was joking.

Leah rarely complained.

That almost made it worse.

She simply absorbed those moments and moved on.

I kept telling myself the beach trip might help.

Maybe a whole week together would finally make things easier.

Then, three days before we were supposed to leave, my phone started buzzing during a work meeting.

Paige.

Mom.

Jordan.

Several messages.

At first, I assumed something serious had happened.