Eventually, Braxton tore her gaze away and lifted her head to say something to her mother.
When Mrs. Fawn immediately started to argue, we started forward. Amelia had no power outside of that hospital, and we weren’t leaving here without her daughter.
Our only relief was the amusement in Braxton’s gaze as her mother became more and more upset by the syllable. We were close enough now to clearly make out their conversation.
“They didn’t have to tell me you banned them from seeing me, Mother. How would they? I know you. Better still, I know them.”
“Braxton, I did what was best for you, and I will not apologize.”
“No. You did what was best for you. If it had been about me, the support I needed, however much, would have outweighed your comfort.”
It was clear whatever common ground the two had found over the last week and a half had ended.
“You’ve made it clear how you feel about my choices, Braxton, but if you don’t have to apologize for who you are, why should I?”
Braxton nodded her agreement and then raised one truth with another. “Exactly. It was your choice. I’ve never tried to force my ideas on you, and I’ve never ostracized you for thinking differently than me.”
“Is that what you call raising and protecting you?”
“I’m an adult now, Mom. What’s your excuse?” Braxton asked her dryly.
“You told your sister to murder an innocent life when it goes against everything we’ve taught you both. That’s my excuse.”
“Mom.” Braxton closed her eyes and kept them shut. “For the last time, I never told Rosalie to abort her baby. She knew what she wanted before she came to me. I didn’t put those thoughts in her head or the words in her mouth. She spoke them all on her own. My only crime was offering to stand by her no matter what.” Her eyes opened, and they met her mother’s. “Something we both knew you’d fail to do.”
“Rosalie’s a child. She didn’t know what she was saying.”
“I considered that,” Braxton told her while nodding again. “So I made sure I didn’t sugarcoat a damn thing, and guess what, Mom? Rosalie never wavered. Not even once. Because she didn’t want to be a wife and mother. She wanted to stay a kid. She wanted to grow up on her time. She wanted the chance to find herself.” My baby gave her mother a withering look. “Clearly, the repercussions of having an abortion didn’t scare her nearly as much as you.”
Braxton stood from the wheelchair on shaky legs, but when we started forward to help her, she gave us a look to back the hell off. Loren and I held up our hands in surrender as we did just that.
“So congratulations, Mother. Your personal opinions just cost Rosalie her dreams, her childhood, the chance at true love, and the next eighteen years of her life. But as you pointed out, you made your choice, so why not make your daughter’s too.”
Braxton shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but her eyes told a different story.
“I’m her mother. That is my job.”
“No. It’s your job to provide her safety, love, and support. And yes, help her find a direction. It is not your job to choose who she is, what she believes in, or how her future gets to be. That was always meant for Rosalie to decide when the time came.” Braxton started to limp toward us when she stopped and turned back to her mother. “Spoiler alert—it’s not at thirteen.”
Loren had snuck up on Braxton when she turned toward us again and lifted her in his arms before she could object. She smiled at him, and it felt like a punch to the gut.
I’d missed that sight.
Braxton didn’t bother to say goodbye to her mother when we turned to go, but clearly, Amelia wasn’t done.
“You should take some responsibility, Braxton. This isn’t all on your father and me. If you weren’t such a whore despite all we’ve done to teach you, none of this would have happened to your sister. She looked up to you, and look where it got her.”
Loren slowly turned with Braxton in his arms. I did too. She put her finger to his lips before he could say anything and then kissed them.
“Take me home,” was all she said before laying her head on his chest.
Despite her cruel words, it didn’t change the fact that Amelia had come to her daughter’s side when she needed her most. Braxton would never forget that. At the moment, she was repaying her mother’s short-lived kindness by protecting her from our wrath.
Loren started for my truck with her while I took one last look at Amelia Fawn. It was foolish to hope I would never see her ass again, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Where’s Jericho?” Braxton asked once we reached the G-Wagon.