"Gia, babe." His voice dropped off when he saw my face. I didn't have the energy to hide from him. "Why are you crying?" he asked as he stepped toward me and the ball of sobbing child clutching my neck.
I shook my head, unable to form words that wouldn't hurt Emmy's sweet spirit. She pulled her head from my neck at the sound of Jase's voice. Her little hands pushed away from my chest as she locked eyes with his. She leaned over me to reach for him, and her feet dug into my lap. He continued with her in his arms to sit next to me on the couch in my dimly lit apartment. The somber mood was made worse by the melancholy that constantly surrounded us.
Stroking Emmy's hair, he spoke softly in her ear. "What's wrong, sweet girl?"
"I hurts." Her voice was muffled by his neck, but the pain was
