Page 53 of Beach B!tch
But he was right. They were unstoppable. Like trying to rein in a tornado.
I sighed and shrugged. "Jokes on them. They promised they'd provide the food."
Dean smirked and giggled, which prompted me to start laughing too, which led to us both continuing to laugh, because, hey, I'd won my game today and life was meant to be celebrated.
"All those lonely years of worry were worth it to see how happy you are today."
Dean and I turned around to see who was speaking to us. The smile left my face as I took in the most brilliant green eyes staring back at me like a mirror. A woman stood before me, a small smile on her face, her eyes taking in my face, my hair, my body, like I was a buffet and she hadn't eaten in years. I stared right back categorizing all the features that felt familiar.
"You must be Brinley." She spoke softly, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.
My heart was about to race out of my chest. I knew this woman. I knew her on a cellular level that couldn't be explained rationally.
"Are you my mother?" I whispered, eyes wide.
"Yes, baby. I'm your mom," she whispered back.
I don't know who took the first step, but we crashed together, arms squeezing each other tight like the other might disappear if we weren't touching. She rocked me back and forth, whispering nonsensical soothing words in my ear. The only one I caught and held onto was when she said how much she loved me.
All the days I cried as a child over not having a mother came crashing down on my chest, squeezing out the first happy tears on the subject. What felt like hours later, I pulled back enough to see her face, still keeping my arms around her to make sure she wouldn't somehow disappear. She had tears streaking down her cheeks and the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen. I felt her move her arms away from my body, panic setting in as I realized she was pulling away from me. Before I could protest or latch on tighter, she brought both hands up to my face and wiped away my tears.
"I'm here now. I'll never leave you. We don't need to cry over each other ever again," she explained with wonder and love dripping from each word.
"How--? When--?" I couldn't seem to form a sentence or compose my thoughts. Even with her standing right in front of me telling me she was here to stay, I couldn't seem to grasp the idea of having a mom now. Or where to go from here.
I heard someone clear their throat, then Jack's voice filtered in through my emotional fog. "Yeah, that was what I wanted to tell you this morning, but I had to take care of, well, your father first."
I turned toward him, still not relinquishing my hold on the woman beside me, you know, just in case. He stood next to Dean, who was flanked by Esa, Bailey, Shasta, and Autumn.
"Got the DNA results back this morning and you are, one hundred percent confirmed, mother and daughter," Jack stated.
I looked back at my mother, and she looked at me.
"Wait--what's your name?" I asked her, my face screwed up in confusion. Then I realized how insane my question, hell, this whole situation was, and I burst out laughing. She started chuckling too, followed by everyone else. The tension cleared and the tears dried, replaced by smiles.
And it was about damn time.
