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She looked down at her lap.

“Whydamnit?” I repeated.

“No reason would be good enough.” She met my gaze again. “But I want you to know I didn’t leave because of you. I hit forty and realized that I was living in the same town where I was born. I married the first man I ever really dated. I failed at having more than one child. I didn’t have a degree or any professional skills. I was overweight, broke, and had nothing to show for all the life that I lived. I felt dead inside. I honestly thought you’d be better off without having a mom around whose only accomplishment was keeping you alive.”

My heartstrings ached with each word she said, because so many of those words echoed the fears I had for myself.

“I got online just to talk to people my age,” she continued, “to see if I could find someone who understood what I was going through, and I met this man...”

I gritted my teeth.

“He was kind, told me I was pretty, said I could be more than what I was. He promised me a life with him that was everything I was missing in Cottonwood Falls. I think it was my last-ditch effort to hang on to life when it felt like it was slipping through my fingers. But he was so jealous and possessive he didn’t want me calling back to the house to check on you.”

My eyebrows drew together. “What?” I’d never heard this before.

She nodded. “I tried, a couple times. When he found out, he made me change my number, and when that didn’t work he took my phone. He got...” She took a shuddering breath. “He got abusive with me. The only way I could go to your hair school graduation was for him to come with me. When I showed up with him, I felt even more worthless than I did before because I had such a good thing with you and your dad and I just didn’t appreciate it like I should have.”

“Hazel...” Rhett reached out, holding my mom’s hand. This lifeline between us both.

“I left him right after your college graduation with the help of an organization here in town, and I decided if you could make something of yourself, I could too. I went to cosmetology school and followed in your footsteps, because you, Magnolia Ray Gibson, are theonlything I’ve ever gotten right.”

I covered my mouth with my hand. “You did?”

She nodded, pulling out her phone. “I don’t have a big social media following like you, but I’ve been documenting the journey.” She swiped to an Instagram account and showed me row after row of hair and nails she’d done for women and men alike.

Tears fell down my cheeks as Rhett said, “That’s amazing.”

I nodded in agreement, trying to stem the flow of tears. “I’m proud of you.”

Mom’s smile wavered, and she sucked in a deep breath. She opened her mouth to speak but was overcome by emotion. “That’s all I ever wanted to hear.”

My chest ached with guilt, with happiness. Because my mom had been just as lonely, just as lost as I was, and just like she wasn’t there for me, I hadn’t been there for her either.

I made a commitment to myself, to Rhett, to work on forgiveness while still holding boundaries to keep myself safe. And I made another promise out loud. “Mom, is it... is it okay if we get to know each other again?”

Tears rolled down her face as she nodded. “I’d love that.”

We got up from our chairs, hugging each other long and hard.

It felt like we were both finally home.

58

RHETT

We spenthours at the coffee shop, talking and laughing and catching up.

We all said goodbye in the parking lot and made plans to visit again soon. Hazel hugged me goodbye, whispering in my ear, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

I smiled, hugging her a little extra tight. This had been good for all of us. I hadn’t been sure how this meeting would go, but Mags had gone above and beyond any expectation. She’d shown me that she was ready to grow and learn to forgive. In the process, she’d rekindled a relationship I could tell she missed like crazy.

We waved goodbye, and when we got in the car, I looked over at Maggie. She seemed a little shell-shocked. “How are you holding up?” I asked.

She sniffed, wiped at her eyes. “I’m happy, but I havesomany regrets.”

I lifted a corner of my lips. “None of us are perfect. We all have to fuck up before we find the right way. The trick is to use those mistakes as lessons instead of reasons to beat ourselves up.”

Her hand twined with mine, and she held the back of my hand to her lips. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Rhett Griffen.”