Page 39 of Honey Bee Library (Sweet Tea and a Southern Gentleman #7)

Her hair was grey and cut short. Her skin was wrinkled and weathered, but her bright blue eyes held my gaze as she stared back at me. It wasn’t until I saw someone shifting their weight behind her that I realized we weren’t alone.

The man I’d seen her come into the diner with last night was standing behind her, looking a tad uncomfortable.

“What are you doing here?” I blurted out, the last bits of sleep finally clearing my mind as I sat up straighter in my chair.

Mom’s eyebrows went up, and I could see her hesitation as she studied me and then turned her attention to Gran. “Seeing my mother,” she said, with a sharpness to her tone that wasn’t lost on me.

Anger boiled up inside of me. Why was she suddenly interested in Gran now ? “Where have you been the last twenty-five years?” I was shaking now.

I’d spent my life wondering what this moment would feel like. I’d wondered how I would react once I came face-to-face with my mother after all of these years.

Sure, I’d imagined some incredible family reunion where she would tell me that she’d had amnesia and had just regained her memories, which was why she’d stayed away for so long.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that my mom knew who I was, knew where I was, and chose to stay away.

The truth was, I was so far down on her priority list that she didn’t feel the need to reach out. The need to be my mother.

I was done with this woman. The last thing I wanted to do was allow her to consume any more of my energy. I was going to move on, and she was not going to come with me.

We were over.

Her lips were parted when I turned my attention to her. Her eyebrows were raised and her arms folded as she studied me. I waited to hear her excuse, but it never came.

“If you’re thinking you’re going to get an inheritance, trust me, Gran wrapped everything up into a trust. She has indicated where she wants her effects to go, and you are not a beneficiary.”

“I…” She shook her head. “I have a right to see my mother before she passes.”

I laughed. Loud. I glanced back at her. “You gave up that right when you walked out on our family.” I nodded toward the door. “Go. You’re not wanted here. We’ve been getting along fine without you, and we’ll continue to survive long after you leave.” I turned my back to her and stared down at Gran.

I took her hand once more and squeezed it in an effort to pull some strength from her.

We didn’t need Bethany. It was clear she only came around when it suited her .

Our small, broken family found a way through the pain she’d dumped on us when she left, and we were going to continue making this work.

“Cole, she’s my mother. You can’t keep me from her.”

Anger. Red-hot anger rose up inside of me. I was such a fool to think that she would care enough to help us get Gran back, if only for a moment. But no, everything was about her. Leaving was about her. Gran’s illness was about her. Being here was about her.

She wasn’t going to walk away until she got what she came here for.

“You’ve been so good at staying away for so long, what’s another few minutes?

” I glared over at her. Sure, I was acting immature, but what else was I supposed to do?

I wasn’t prepared to see her, and now I was face-to-face with the person who hurt me.

With the person who, given the chance, would hurt me again.

I was tired of hurting.

I was ready to heal.

“I deserve to see my mom,” she said, her voice low but firm.

I knew Gran would want her to stay. She missed her daughter as much as I missed my mom.

I knew, if given the choice, Gran would ask her to stay.

She would say that fighting can only be done in close proximity.

That it was better to have her here than lost out in the world—I just didn’t see it the same way.

Which is why I flicked my gaze over my shoulder before turning my attention back to Gran. “Then do it when I’m not here.”

I didn’t turn around to see what Bethany was going to do.

I kept my focus on Gran’s sleeping face.

My ears were pricked to catch any noise that might indicate what she’d chosen.

I heard soft whispering between her and who I could only assume was her husband before the faint sound of shuffling feet was followed by the resounding click of the door latch engaging.

Gran and I were finally alone.

The dam inside of me broke. I collapsed onto the armchair and buried my face into Gran’s hand. Being let down by Bethany felt as poignant today as it had been when as a child I realized that she really wasn’t coming back. That my mother had left me.

I wanted things to be different, but Bethany didn’t want to change. The only way I was going to heal was if I shed the weight that came with “what if” and moved forward into the certain future without her.

I felt Gran stir before I felt her pat my head and whisper a rhythmic, “Shh, shh, shh.”

Realizing that she was awake, I glanced up to see her lying back with her eyes closed.

“Gran?” I asked, wondering if I’d imagined things.

She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head. The smile that emerged almost broke me. It was the smile she saved just for me.

“Cole-Bug,” she whispered, using the nickname she used to call me when I was a kid.

Tears brimmed my eyelids as I brought our clasped hands up to my lips so I could kiss the back of her hand. “Gran,” I whispered.

“How are you, my love?” she asked.

I closed my eyes, committing to memory the feeling of her warm hands and gentle affection for me. I wasn’t sure how long I was going to have her for, and there was no way I was going to waste a single moment.

“Missing you,” I said, glancing up. A tear slipped down my cheek. I sniffled and wiped it away. I wished I was stronger for her. I was getting this rare miracle, and I was wasting it by blubbering like a fool.

“I know, darling.” Her voice was soft and reverent as she studied me. “But it’s good to see you.”

I nodded. “It’s good to see you,” I whispered.

I held her gaze for a moment before she sighed and glanced around. When she brought her gaze back to me, she looked confused. I feared I’d lost her again.

“Where’s that woman who was with you?” she asked, doing another sweep of the room.

I glanced around. And then I realized who she was talking about. Bethany. She’d been the person to bring her out of the cloud of dementia. I scoffed and shook my head. Faith had been right.

Even though I was reveling in the fact that Gran was here with me again, it hurt just a bit to know it was the woman who had broken our hearts who had brought Gran back to me. That I wasn’t enough to spark Gran’s memories.

But I couldn’t hide the fact that Gran’s daughter had returned. My shoulders fell as I whispered, “Bethany.”

When Gran didn’t respond, I glanced over to see her studying me. Her eyebrows were drawn together like she was trying to digest what I had just said.

“No.” She shook her head. “No, not her. There was another woman with you…” She paused. “Had a little boy with her.”

I blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.

“Willow?” I asked in disbelief.

“Willow,” Gran whispered with a soft smile on her lips. “I like that name.” She glanced over at me. “Is she special to you?” Her voice turned knowing, and the wiggling of her eyebrows had me rolling my eyes.

“Gran,” I said, my heart squeezing in my chest. “She’s…not anything to me.” Those words hurt. Especially when I wanted to say something completely different. Something much more meaningful.

“Why?” Gran folded her arms across her chest, and I didn’t appreciate the accusatory way she said that word. Like Willow not being mine was somehow my fault.

I sighed. “She doesn’t want to be.” Why did the truth have to hurt this much?

Gran didn’t look like she believed me, so I launched into the story of what happened.

As I neared the end, I glanced over to Gran, hoping that she now understood why Willow was no longer here.

I should have known better than to think Gran would be sympathetic to my woes.

Instead of offering me a reassuring hug, she narrowed her eyes.

“What?” I asked.

“I’ve never known you to shy away from a deal before.”

That felt like a challenge. And in truth, Gran was right. In the end, I always got what I wanted. But not this time. Not with Willow. “She asked me to go,” I said, my voice low with emotion.

“Pish posh. She’s just scared. Dumping you before you can dump her.” She tapped her nose a few times. “Classic single mom move.” She pointed her finger at me. “I would bet that she is just as miserable without you as you are without her.”

I hated that Gran was giving me hope, but maybe, just maybe, Gran was right. “Should I go get her?”

“Do you love her?”

I took a moment to ponder Gran’s question. If she only knew how much I cared about Willow, she wouldn’t have had to ask that question. “Yes,” I whispered.

She shrugged. “Then there’s nothing you can’t overcome together.” She patted my hand as she leaned back against her pillows. “It will do me good to know that you’re being taken care of.”

“But…what if she doesn’t want me?” I’d already been rejected by my mother. I wasn’t sure I could survive being rejected by Willow when my true feelings were out in the open.

Gran raised her head slightly to look at me. “That’s the risk we have to take sometimes.” She grinned at me. “But the reward of love is always worth the risk.”

I grinned, grateful that I got to have this moment with her. I missed her so much that it hurt. “I love you.”

Her smile was so familiar that it made my heart ache. “I love you, too.”

I knew she wanted me to go get Willow, and I had every intention of doing that, but I wasn’t going to squander this time I had with her.

We played chess until she grew tired and her memories began to fade once more.

After she fell asleep, I tucked her in, turned off the lights, and quietly left her room.

As I walked by the waiting room, Bethany caught my eyes.

She was sitting on a chair next to the man I had no interest in meeting with her head resting on his shoulder and her eyes closed.

I really had no intention of talking to her, but I knew Gran would want to see her, so I crossed the space between us.

The man jostled his shoulder as I approached, and her eyes opened. When she saw me, she stood. “Hey,” she said, her voice soft from sleep.

“Hey. I need to head out. Gran’s asleep, but you’re welcome to go in.”

I didn’t wait for her to respond. I just gave her a weak smile and headed toward the sliding doors.

I was going back to Harmony.