much to drink, Momma?”
“Just a little, baby. Just enough to calm my nerves.” She grins.
My mother is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen when she’s smiling. And when she’s having a good day, she’s always smiling. When Dad was around, he took care of her and made sure she always had a reason to show her pearly whites. He knew exactly what to do to keep her happy, to keep her stable. And when her moods would shift, he kept her sane enough just for me.
That all changed when he got locked up, though. That’s when Mom fell off the deep end and never recovered entirely. She never smiles quite like she did when Dad was around. But for the past twelve years, I’ve been the one looking after her, doing my very best to make sure she still has a reason to smile every day.
“Who is this tall glass of water?” Mom asks inquisitively, looking over my shoulder.
“Um…” I begin to stutter when I realize that Finn is at the door and not in the car where I ordered him to stay.
“My name is Finn, Ma’am. Finn Walker. I’m Stone’s friend,” he replies, taking a further step inside the trailer.
“Friend, huh? You look more like a heartbreaker to me. You’re not going to break my baby girl’s heart, are you, Finn?” she coos, looking deep into his eyes, half-joking, half-serious.
Finn rakes the back of his neck with his hand, obviously embarrassed with her comment.
“Momma—”
“Hush, baby. He’s got a mouth on him. He can talk for himself.” She lets out a little giggle.
“No, Ma’am. I’m not going to hurt Stone,” Finn replies shyly, looking to the floor rather than meeting her gaze.
My own frown surfaces, not liking how he’s unable to meet my mother’s drunkard glare, but I don’t say anything to call him out on it.
“You say that now,” she warns warmly, playfully shaking her finger at him, making Finn’s brows furrow even tighter together. “But eventually, you will. They all do.”
“Momma, stop,” I plead softly.
My mother turns my way and grabs my face gently in between her palms. Even in her worst fits, she was never capable of striking me down or hurting me. When it got really bad for her, she fought hard to keep lucid enough to recognize me. And in her internal battle, even on the days she had no idea who I was, she was always sweet, always kind. Maybe that’s why Dad and I had to be so hard all the time. Because she couldn’t be, and we knew there are plenty of people out there who would love nothing more than to exploit such a tender soul.
“Momma, please.” I try again, hoping she will take the hint and not say anything in front of Finn that I can’t take back later.
She just shakes her head, almost losing her balance, but not enough to dissuade her from saying what is obviously lodged in her throat and needs to come out.
“My baby girl looks tough, but she isn’t, you know? Under all this bravado, she’s fragile and soft, so soft. Just like her daddy. She’s the most precious thing I have, and I don’t know what I’d do without her,” she susurrates, teary-eyed.
“Momma, you’re talking gibberish now. Come on, let me get you cleaned up and take you to bed. You need to sleep it off.”
“But what about Rhett? Are you going to talk to him? Please don’t. I don’t want you near him,” my mother pleas in concern, the last bit of sobriety announcing itself, worried about me trying to go after her ex.
Yeah, like I’m going to go on the lookout to talk to that piece of trash. He’s probably spent my hard-earned money already, shoving whatever he could buy up his vein. That cash is long gone by now, and I’m not going to waste my time trying to get it back. There’s no point.
“He might get angry if you do. Just let it go, baby. I’ll make do somehow,” she continues, her long lashes stuck to the tears she’s shedding out of pure worry for my welfare. God, how I wish she could take care of herself.
“Come on, Momma. I don’t want you to worry about that, okay? I’m going to leave some money in our secret stashing place. But if that asshole comes back, don’t let him in. You hear me?”
“I’m sorry, baby. I know I shouldn’t have opened the door for him. It’s just,