Page 41 of Sweet on You
I wonder if I had come to my parent’s doorstep with baby Olivia in my arms… would they have taken us in? Would they have opened their home, their arms, their hearts to me and my daughter? I wanted to think they would have, but truly, I wasn’t sure.
Did Sarah know that not all of us were so lucky to have supportive parents that loved us unconditionally? Because the way she used to speak about her parents to me suggested that they didn’t love her at all. That they would have turned her away. It was one of the first things we connected over—the fact that our parents had both slammed their doors in our faces. But I just couldn’t picture Mrs. Murphy doing that.
Sarah’s lawyers, a woman in a gray suit and an older man in a black suit, came out of the courtroom, briefcases in hand, and talked quietly with Mrs. Murphy for a few minutes before finally turning to Brady and me. “Would you like to follow us to the hospital for your test?” the female lawyer said.
Brady nodded in acknowledgment. “Absolutely.”
Mrs. Murphy dropped her gaze, not meeting my eyes. Was she embarrassed they were asking this? Hell, I had no qualms about proving my sobriety. “Mrs. Murphy.” Even though I whispered her name, it seemed to echo between us. Her gaze darted to mine and I offered her the same kind smile she had awarded me earlier. “I will happily provide drug tests for you. With my daughter’s well-being at stake? I wish I could make everyone who ever came in contact with her get drug tested, too. I’m sober. I’ve been sober for two years. And I’m proud to prove it to you.”
She sighed, her shoulders dropping and tears filled her eyes with a large swallow. “That’s so… refreshing to hear,” she said. “I’ve longed to hear those same words from my daughter, you know.”
I nodded. I did know. Better than anyone, perhaps. None of us wanted to be this way.
Brady cleared his throat. “Shall we?” He gestured to the front doors. I could tell that the casual way Mrs. Murphy and I were chatting made him nervous. There was always the fear that a client would slip up and say something stupid that could compromise the whole case. But Mrs. Murphy and I truly seemed to want the same things. I believed in her… and I would work as hard as I could to make sure she believed in me, too. If I couldn’t have that with my own parents, maybe I could have it with the grandparents of my child.
