Page 92 of A Cowboy's Claim
Sydney refused to be embarrassed. She twisted to the phone even as she eased into Declan’s side.
Marie blinked once, then twice, then her entire face softened like someone had flipped a switch.
“Oh my,” she whispered. “Your expression matches the one Sydney’s father wore when I introduced him to my mom.”
Declan chuckled. “Hopefully that’s a compliment.”
Marie’s eyes crinkled with warmth. “It is. Welcome to the family, Declan.”
“Happy to be here.”
They chatted lightly for another moment, Declan eventually stepping away to let Sydney and her mom continue.
“You love him,” Marie said after a moment, no question in her tone.
Sydney nodded. “Yeah. I do.”
“I’m proud of you.” Marie’s voice was soft but unshakeable. “You’ve built a life that’s yours. And you finally let someone share it with you. That takes guts.”
“Don’t make me cry on my birthday.”
“I won’t. I’ll just say this; if you ever need anything—anything at all—I want to help.”
Sydney huffed a laugh, sipping her tea. “Sure. You want to invest in a medical clinic in Alberta?”
She said it flippantly, almost bitterly—because really, what were the chances?
But her mother lit up. “Well, now that’s something to discuss. Yes. Tell me more.”
Sydney choked. “Wait.What?”
Marie leaned closer to the screen. “Darling, your father and I have helped each of your siblings at some point in their lives. Sometimes with first mortgages, sometimes with business loans. Why would you think we wouldn’t be here to help you when you asked?”
Sydney’s heart slammed against her ribs. “You have those kind of discretionary funds?”
“Well, it depends. There is a limit, but if you’re talking about the clinic you’re currently running, we should be able to manage it.”
“I can’t believe this.” Sydney shook her head, confused even as hope rose inside. “You never offered before.”
“You never asked. You didn’t share any financial details of the clinic or how you were establishing it until after your grandfather had already set you up. At that point, we didn’t want to undermine your decisions,” Marie said.
Tears sprang up, fast and sharp, catching Sydney off guard. “All this time, I thought I had to do everything alone. Which meant accepting Grandpa’s help.”
“Never.” Marie paused. “I know we’re different. You’ve always been fierce and independent and impossibly brilliant. And I’ve always been more comfortable making cookies and wrangling toddlers and making sure the house runs like a clock. But I’ve never regretted a minute of the life I chose. I want you to have that same confidence in your choices.”
Sydney pressed her hands to her chest. “I do. Finally.”
“Good.” Marie’s smile glowed through the screen. “Because it’s not very correct to say this to you, but your grandpa Nate needs to butt out. He’s shaped too much of your world.”
“I hate that you’re right.”
“Hey, I love that you’re starting to take your power back. We raised you hoping you’d be strong enough to know your own mind. Sometimes it takes a while to come into that power. Also, your grandfather is a bit of a jackass.”
That made Sydney bark out a laugh.
Marie beamed. “There’s my girl.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
