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I laugh as I stare down at my left hand and quickly remove the diamond from my ring finger. I slide it into my pocket and take a deep breath.
"What did you get?" I hear Dad from the living room.
"Lots of stuff!" Brianna's voice trills down the hall.
"Hey," I hear Mom as she comes down the stairs. "You're back."
"I am," I say as she gives me a hug.
"How was it?"
"Amazing," I tell her.
She smiles. "Good."
"We brought you and Dad some fudge from that little shop you like a few towns over."
Mom squeezes my arm. "Your dad will love that."
"It was Brady's idea," I divulge. "He remembered how much you guys liked it."
"That was very thoughtful of him," she says coolly.
"I don't get it," I shake my head. "He makes me happy. Why was that a good enough reason for you and Dad to be together, but it's not for me?"
Mom exhales heavily. "I do want you to be happy. I really do. I'm just worried."
"About?"
"When you left to get away from him," Mom shakes her head, "you left me, too. I love Ava like my own, but she has a mom. She also has Jenny, whom she adores. She doesn't need me. I know it's not fair to you, but I liked that you needed my advice. I liked that you needed my arms when life was hard. You decided to pack everything up one day and leave. I knew you didn't need me anymore, but I still needed you."
"I didn't realize..." I trail off.
"You and I aren't much different," she shrugs. "We run when things get tough. I don't want you to run anymore. I want you to be settled."
I am, Mom. I am.
"I'm not going anywhere," I promise. "Except maybe to a rental."
"I can handle a rental," Mom laughs. "But I want my granddaughter to know me."
"I didn't run from Steve," I try explaining. "I came home. Because this is where I belong. It's where Brianna belongs, too."
"She really loves Sunday brunches at the Lodge."
"And she loves her cousins," I add.
"I'm sorry," Mom apologizes. "I've been hard on you. My mom...well, that's not really an excuse. But she was my example. She wasn't always a great one. Sometimes, I find myself doing things like she did because I think that's what I'm supposed to do. I don't know if that makes sense. What I'm trying to say is that I'm trying hard to do things differently. I want to be the kind of mom who supports you even when I'm not sure how to. I want to be the type of mom who understands you."
"I'm not sure anyone understands me."Except for Brady.
"I'm incredibly proud of you," she gives me a watery smile. "You've done some hard things, and I'm not sure I could have pulled them off the way you have if I had been in your position."
"It helps knowing I have you and Dad."
"I love you so much, Iz."
"I know," I hold out my arms.
