Page 109 of The Best I Never Had

She twirls on Nana, lifting a hand at me. “I’m supporting the wedding. I’m helping, and he doesn’t even say thank you.”

Nana opens her mouth to argue, but I cut her off. “Mom, if you want a relationship with me—and with Harrison, too, if I had to guess—you owe Thea and Addy an apology.”

I think she’s going to resist, but Nana steps forward, slipping her hand into hers and squeezing. Mom looks at her, a trace of pain and vulnerability sliding over her face.

Mom turns back to Thea. “I shouldn’t have spoken that way last night.”

“Diana,” Nana whispers, drawing the word out.

Mom drops her eyes to the kitchen floor. “I’m sorry.”

Thea looks at me like I’ll guide the conversation, but I’m as surprised as she is.

“Thank you,” Thea says, but it sounds more like a question.

Mom purses her lips. “I don’t hate you. And I hope—if you’re going to be in my son’s life long-term—that eventually you’ll stop hating me.”

I look at Thea with a raised brow, and she winces, whispering, “I may have gone off on your mother before I left last night.”

Fuck, I love this woman.

Thea bites her lip, her body tense like she expects me to be upset. Instead, I lean down and kiss her.

I whisper against her lips, “Remember how much I love your protectiveness?”

Thea’s body relaxes against me, and she mouths thank you before I turn back to my mother.

Mom faces me. “The things you said to me this morning were … very upsetting.”

“I’m not trying to upset you,” I say. “But I’m not going to make my decisions for you anymore. I need to live for myself, and there’s a lot you aren’t going to like. You’ll have to decide whether or not you can handle that.”

Tears flood her eyes. “I just want what’s best for you.”

She loves me. I know she loves me, but that’s not enough. And I can’t keep following this instinct to comfort her when it only makes things worse.

“You need to see someone, Mom.” She flinches away, like she just realized I’m an electric fence and she’s scared of getting shocked. “I get why you reacted this way after everything with Dad. Why you’ve felt this overwhelming need for control. But Harrison and I aren’t toys you can move around your dollhouse. You need to get help.”

“I don’t think it’s as bad as all that,” she says, shifting on her feet.

“It is,” I say, refusing to let the discomfort scare me off. “You’ve come so close to losing me. Your relationship with Harrison isn’t much better—but that’s something you need to work through with him. These problems aren’t going to magically disappear, and I’m telling you right now, I won’t tolerate you taking out issues you refuse to deal with on Thea. I want a relationship with you, but I can’t force you to do the work.”

She keeps her eyes trained on something over my shoulder, and I brace for her ire. Instead, she swallows thickly and nods.

“Maybe…” She clears her throat. “Maybe I can help you with the rest of the cake? You can tell me more about your thoughts for that baking side business you mentioned.”

I shoot a quick glance at Thea, and she nods. “It’s not going to be a side business. Harrison’s going to buy me out so I can focus on it full-time.”

She closes her eyes, and I can practically hear the wail she’s holding back. This is hard for her, and I think putting it all out there is the best choice. One severe injury that needs to heal instead of small cuts at random.

“And I’m going to start it up here. I’ve loved these mountains my entire life, and I want to live here.”

She lets out a little whimper, and I let go of Thea’s waist to pull Mom into my arms. “I’m your son. I’ll always be your son.”

I want to ask for her to be happy for me, but I don’t know if she’s strong enough for that, and I don’t know if I’m strong enough to know the answer. Hopefully, this will help Mom realize she needs to process her trauma. But until she finds a way to heal, I’ll live my life and recognize that I can’t control her reactions.

As I step back from my mom, I glance at Thea, a question in my gaze. My mom’s been difficult all my life, but she’s been cruel to Thea, and I won’t force her to spend time with her if she’s not comfortable.

Thea steps to my side, placing a possessive hand on my back that has my pulse kicking up. “We’d love your help, Diana.”