Tulip and Beth
"No," she said. "Well, not really. I'm helping to raise my boyfriend's toddler, but I'm not her mother. Biologically, anyway."
She did think of Cadence as her daughter more than she liked to admit, though. She loved the little girl dearly.
"Sure," she said, and went to retrieve the water. When she returned, she sat down next to her. "Back home, we used to fix lemonade on days like this. Well, you know, before everything happened."