Page 199 of As They Are
“Wren,” Henry added. “Who wouldn’t? You brought back the library?—”
“I’m not worth it,” I said desperately. “Guys, if I wasn’t worth it to my own mother, then why would you care?”
“She said you weren’t ...” Henry’s eyes were wide.
“What the hell did she mean by that?”
“I don’t know, that I wasn’t worth her trying? That I wasn’t worth anything? At this point, it all feels the same. And I must have done this somehow. Shewantedme at one point, and then she didn’t.”
“Wren,” Tammy said, getting into my line of sight. “When we talked outside of the library, I told you what I thought of her. What did I say?”
I closed my eyes and thought back to it. “You said it was ... her problem.”
“And it’s her problem now,” she said. “She’s the unfit parent. You’re not unfit to be loved.”
I knew that. I did. But I wasso scared.Scared of feeling like I had when she said all of this to me. Scared of being someone’s regret. Scared of giving it my all and it not being enough.
“Wren. Are you happy being back?” he asked. “Ifyouneed space, say the word and we’ll leave.”
“I didn’t agree to that,” Tammy said.
“But if it’s what she wants, she can have it.”
That was the Henry I knew. His voice was finally back. Was he okay?
I needed to know what had happened. I needed to know how he felt about all of this.
Tammy looked at me. “Is that what you need? Do you need time to think?”
I’d had time to think, and the whole time, I was thinking of them. What Mom had said shook me to my core. It made me rethink everything I’d grown out of.
And I’d run.
They’d followed.
“I . . . don’t want space.”
“Thank God,” Tammy said.
Even Henry’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Okay,” he replied. “I’ll stay here with you until you’re done with what you’re working on.”
“What? No. You have things to do.”
“My choice, remember? I know your mom didn’t choose you, but we do. And we will.”
“Why?”
“It’s what you do when you love someone.”
“Real love,” Tammy added. “Not whatever the hell your mother says she does.”
My body was warm, something I didn’t think was possible with how awful things had been.
“You don’t need to stay,” I began.
“Wren, let me help.” The tension was back in his voice, and I rushed to explain what had happened.
“You don’t need to stay because I canceled my project.”
