Michelle had rarely discussed it afterward.
“I spent years thinking there must have been something wrong with me,” she continued. “I became very good at being fine. Very good at having a career and a house and friends and pretending none of the rest mattered.”
Her voice trembled.
“Then he came here.”
She looked at me again.
“He fixed things without being asked. He listened when I talked. He asked questions. He made this house feel alive.”
Laura’s expression softened only slightly.
“That doesn’t make this okay.”
“I didn’t say it did.”
I finally stepped between them.
“Can everyone stop deciding what this is without asking me?”
My mother stared at me.
“I’m not confused.”
“You might be.”
“I’m not.”
“You’ve known her forever.”
“That doesn’t mean I’ve wanted her forever.”
Laura flinched.
I softened my voice.
“I noticed her now. As an adult.”
