Page 117 of Make Mine Sweet
Wren and I exchange glances. Not where we saw that going.
Also:finally.
“Are you trying to tell us we’re getting a stepdad?” Wren jokes.
“Maybe. Yes. If you want him to be that to you.”
That shuts us both up. This isseriousserious.
“Daniel and I have been friends for a long time.” She spins the garnet ring our grandma gave her on her right hand. “I knew he wanted more with me, but…I was afraid.” She smiles gently. “At my age, I was afraid.”
It’s hard to think of her as being afraid or fearful, and not because of her age. Fifty-five is the new forty, right? But she’s stepped up to do so much for us, she’s been more like a superwoman than somebody who would ever cower in fear.
“After your dad left us with nothing, I promised myself nobody would ever put me in that position again. I wouldn’t rely on anyone again, financially or emotionally. I never wanted to be hurting and alone. So I focused on you girls and the bakery. My friendships. It worked for a while. Maybe too long.”
As close as we are, she doesn’t talk about this with us. It’s odd to hear her talk about Dad at all, let alone how much it devastated her when he left.
“When Daniel came along, I clung to that mentality. I turned him down whenever he’d ask me out. It hurt, but I thought it was for the best. I thought I was being strong. Saving myself heartache. It took me too long to realize Daniel wasn’t the one hurting me—I was.”
She focuses her laser beam eyes on me. “I didn’t mean to, but I think I passed those lessons onto you girls.”
I tear my gaze away to stare out the front window. That’s what I’ve been doing, isn’t it? Protecting myself from hurt by pushing Ian away. But I haven’t protected myself from anything. It still hurts, and I did it all to myself.
Maybe Wren was right. Maybe I was too quick to let him go.
“Where did all this self-reflection come from?” Wren asks with her usual tact.
“I’ve been talking with Kat McBride. And Amy and Jodi.”
I meet her gaze again.Do not ask. Do not ask.
“They’re the ones who helped me realize I was hurting us both by refusing Daniel.” Her eyes soften, and she takes my hand. “And that maybe you’re doing the same thing in your life.”
We are carbon copies, after all.
“Maybe,” I whisper. “I don’t want August or me to get hurt.”
“Does it hurt anyway?”
I nod because ayeswould break me.
“I can’t tell you what to do,” Mom says. “I’ve been lucky that Daniel’s been content to be my friend all this time. He’s been patient, but he’s been here for me whenever I needed him, too. In big and small ways.”
I think of Ian stepping up to watch August. How he cared for both of us when August got sick. How patient and understanding he’s been with me. The way he kisses me with his whole soul. My need for a guaranteed future made me write off everything he’s already been proving to me every day.
“I found my true north. It’s you.”
I think maybe I’ve been an idiot. I still don’t know if he’s staying in Sunshine, but those aren’t the words of someone planning on packing up and leaving.
“How did you fix things with him?” I ask totally casually and not at all fishing for ideas.
“The next time he asked me out ‘as friends,’ I kissed him.” Mom’s slow smile has a touch of cheek to it. “We figured it out from there.”
“You are blowing my mind right now.” Wren stares as if she just suggested we add mincemeat pies to the menu. “I had no idea this side of you existed.”
Mom rolls her eyes, but honestly, I’m not that far behind Wren.
“Out of curiosity, how long has Sheriff O’Grady been trying to date you?” Wren always comes through with the important questions.
