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She reached over, grabbed Teresa’s hand, fingers tightening almost painfully.
“That’s not your dream.” A breath. “I see that now.”
Teresa held her breath.
Her mom stroked a hand down her cheek. “I’ve been so blind.”
That breath slid out on a shaky exhale. “Mom—”
“And God—” Her mom’s voice broke. “I’m so sorry it took me so long to understand that.” Her eyes glinting with tears. “That wasn’t fair to you. I was blinded by thinking I’d lost you, lost all of you. It was easier, safer for me to push you on my path because I understood it. But…” She cupped Teresa’s cheeks. “That’s not you.”
“No,” Teresa whispered.
“You need to forge your own path.”
“I do.” A breath as she covered her mom’s hands. “But I was a jerk to not recognize that your path is your own. Just because it’s not for me…” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. Really—”
“My baby,” she whispered. “So strong and smart.”
“Not smart enough to see you for—”
“Stop.”
Another sharp word from her mom who wasn’t sharp.
But clearly, she had depths that Teresa didn’t understand.
And that was something else for her to learn, to internalize, to understand.
“I want you to go out there, baby,” her mom ordered. “I want you to build your company. To do it big and bright and make ityou, and know that I’m here for you, that I’m cheering for you.” She kissed Teresa’s forehead. “That Iknowyou’ll be successful because you’re findingyourpath, not mine. Now,” she whispered, back to that soft, warm mom. “Your dad’s dinner is on the table, so now we’re getting our nails done.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
So, she and her mom got their nails done.
And for once, they didn’t talk about marriage. They talked about her company and the next steps. They talked about her dreams for the future. They talked about choosing precisely the right shade of red for their nails.
And for the first time in a long time, Teresa had a night with her mom that didn’t leave her shredded.
And then when she mentioned Jeremy, she got to see the joy on her mother’s face.
“Happy for you, my baby,” she whispered when they hugged on the doorstep. “Livingallyour dreams.”
She brushed her mom’s hair away, stepped back. “Because you showed me how.”
And finally, she understood that for the truth it was.
Thirty-Three
Jeremy
He closed his laptop and turned toward his woman.
She was on her phone outside on his back deck, pacing back and forth, her cell pinned between shoulder and ear, hands gesticulating widely.
A delivery had been fucked up, dropped at the wrong job site, and she was making her disapproval well known.
“Ugh,” she snapped, stomping back into the house. “I swear to God that I confirmed the location with themtwicebefore they submitted the delivery date.”
