“I didn’t know you heard that.”
Lily’s eyes filled with tears.
“Did I make Aunt Jessica stop loving me because I painted her car?”
I knelt immediately.
“Oh, Lily, no.”
“But Mommy said you were mad about my present.”
“I was worried about my car,” I explained gently. “But that doesn’t mean I stopped loving you. I could never stop being your aunt.”
She wiped her eyes.
“Even if I did something bad?”
“You weren’t trying to do anything bad. You wanted to surprise me.”
I touched her little hand.
“But if something belongs to another person, you have to ask that person before changing it. Even when you’re trying to do something nice.”
Lily thought about that.
“Like when I wanted to color Mommy’s bedroom wall?”
“Exactly.”
She looked toward Amanda.
“Mommy told me I couldn’t because it’s her wall.”
I saw Dad glance at Amanda.
Her eyes were fixed on Lily.
