Iris tilted her chubby little face up, a look of confusion flashing in her big eyes. "Cousin-auntie? What's that?"
Jasper Sherwood looked at her. She was a tiny thing, only three years old.
Jasper crouched down to her level, his voice gentle. "She's your mommy's sister, so she's your auntie."
At the word "mommy," Iris's eyes visibly brightened, but the light quickly faded into disappointment.
She blinked and asked in a tiny, sweet voice, "Do I really have a mommy? Did she leave because Iris was naughty?"
Jasper sighed. "No, that's not it. She wants you… When you're a little bigger, she'll come back."
Iris's eyes suddenly reddened. She looked at Nina Donovan, wringing her small hands together as she lowered her head. Her voice was muffled. "I'm sorry, Auntie. Aunt Vivian said you would steal Daddy away when you came. She said I'm a little burden, and new mommies don't like me, so Daddy will make me leave."
