Mother and Daughter

Chapter 26

Mother and Daughter

Jade found her mother in the herb garden behind the cottage.

The small plot had always been her mother's refuge.

Rows of lavender, rosemary, mint, and medicinal plants filled the space between the cottage and the forest. Even after everything they'd lost, her mother had managed to make the place feel like home.

The late afternoon sun painted everything gold.

For a few minutes, Jade simply stood there watching.

"You've been staring at me for almost a minute."

Jade smiled.

"You're getting old."

Her mother looked up from the bundle of herbs she was sorting.

"You sound like Ash."

Because I'm right.

Jade mentally ignored her wolf.

With limited success.

Her mother laughed softly.

"Come help me."

Jade settled beside her.

For a while they worked in comfortable silence.

The sort of silence that only existed between people who loved each other deeply.

Eventually her mother spoke.

"Your birthday is next week."

There it was.

The topic everyone kept circling around.

The thought made Ash lift her head immediately.

Eight days.

Jade resisted the urge to groan.

I can count.

Just making sure.

Helpful as always.

"You seem nervous," her mother observed.

Jade stared down at the herbs in her hands.

A dozen answers came to mind.

The investigation.

The strange border activity.

The rumors spreading through the pack.

The growing tension with Sabrina.

The truth Rowan seemed determined to uncover.

The increasingly obvious fact that she was falling for Ryker Blackthorn.

Unfortunately, that last one felt the hardest to explain.

"I don't know."

Her mother raised an eyebrow.

"That's a lie."

"Maybe."

Ash snorted.

Definitely.

Traitor.

---

The conversation lingered.

Her mother continued sorting herbs while Jade pretended not to avoid eye contact.

Neither strategy worked.

Eventually the older woman sighed.

"Tell me about him."

Jade nearly dropped an entire bundle of lavender.

"What?"

"Ryker."

The answer came far too quickly.

Far too confidently.

Jade immediately knew she'd been trapped.

Ash found the entire situation hilarious.

We walked right into that.

Quiet.

You practically volunteered his name.

Unfortunately true.

Her mother smiled.

A knowing smile.

The worst kind.

"I've never seen you talk about someone this much."

"I don't talk about him that much."

"You absolutely do."

Ash perked up.

I also talk about him.

Neither woman appeared interested in her opinion.

A tragedy.

Jade dropped her face into her hands.

"This is awful."

Her mother's laughter filled the garden.

"You like him."

The simple statement settled into the quiet space between them.

For once, Jade didn't deny it.

Didn't deflect.

Didn't argue.

That alone was an answer.

Her mother's smile softened immediately.

"Oh."

The warmth in that single word nearly brought tears to Jade's eyes.

No judgment.

No concern.

No warning.

Just happiness.

"Huh."

Jade laughed despite herself.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you've never looked at anyone this way before."

The realization hit harder than expected.

Because her mother was right.

Not once.

Not ever.

Ash shifted thoughtfully inside her mind.

I like him too.

You like everyone who gives us food.

Not true.

A pause.

Mostly true.

---

As the sun slowly dipped lower in the sky, the conversation deepened.

As it often did.

Family stories emerged.

Memories.

Questions.

Things neither had discussed in years.

Eventually Jade asked the question she'd avoided for most of her life.

"Did you love him?"

Her mother became very still.

No explanation necessary.

Both knew exactly who she meant.

Her father.

For a long moment, only the wind moved through the garden.

Then her mother nodded.

"Very much."

The answer hurt.

Not because it was surprising.

Because it sounded sincere.

Jade looked down.

"If he loved us..."

The unfinished sentence lingered.

Her mother understood anyway.

A shadow crossed her features.

Not anger.

Sadness.

Old sadness.

The kind carried for years.

"Sometimes people fail the people they love."

The answer wasn't comforting.

Perhaps because it was true.

"He loved you."

Her mother's voice remained steady.

"He loved me."

She swallowed.

"But he made choices that hurt us anyway."

Jade looked toward the forest.

Toward the distant eastern border.

Toward every unanswered question still surrounding her father.

Lately she wondered more and more what really happened.

Whether the official story explained everything.

Whether Rowan's investigation would uncover something new.

Whether she'd even want those answers.

Ash stirred uneasily.

Soon.

Again.

That word.

Always that word.

Jade hated it.

"Do you think people can change?" she asked quietly.

Her mother smiled sadly.

"Some do."

"And some don't?"

The older woman nodded.

Silence settled between them.

Then unexpectedly her mother reached over and squeezed her hand.

"You don't have to be afraid to be happy."

The words caught Jade off guard.

"What?"

"You've survived for so long."

Her mother's eyes shone with quiet understanding.

"You became very good at protecting yourself."

Jade couldn't look away.

"You don't have to do that all the time anymore."

The statement landed somewhere deep.

Somewhere vulnerable.

Somewhere dangerous.

Because lately...

For the first time in years...

She thought her mother might be right.

---

That evening, after dinner, Jade sat on the cottage porch.

The forest stretched quietly beyond the trees.

Ash lounged comfortably in the back of her mind.

More present than ever.

The closer her birthday grew, the easier it became to feel her.

To hear her.

To understand her.

It wasn't frightening.

Just different.

You're thinking about him again.

Jade sighed.

You're obsessed.

We're obsessed.

A terrible point.

Several moments passed.

Then Ash tilted her head.

Do you trust him?

The question surprised her.

Because it wasn't teasing.

It wasn't playful.

It was serious.

Jade thought carefully.

About Ryker.

About Blackthorn.

About moonlit forests.

About honest smiles.

About patient listening.

About the way he looked at her.

As though she mattered.

As though she'd always mattered.

Finally she smiled.

Yes.

Ash seemed pleased by the answer.

Good.

Why?

The wolf settled comfortably.

Because I do too.

And somehow that meant more to Jade than she could possibly explain.

Above them, the first stars appeared.

Eight days until her birthday.

Eight days until adulthood.

Eight days until whatever future waited for her.

For the first time in her life, she wasn't afraid of what came next.

She was actually looking forward to it.

Which meant fate was probably preparing to ruin everything.