Page 78 of No Greater Love
"She's Paige's mother."
"No, she's not." Tasha set her mug down hard on the patio table. "She's the woman who gave birth to Paige. There's a difference. A mother stays. A mother shows up when her kid is sick or scared or just needs a hug. A mother doesn't disappear for over a decade and then waltz back with lawyers."
"I know that."
"Do you?" She studied my face, and I could see the worry in her eyes. "Because you've got that look. That 'honor and duty' look that's going to make you do something stupid."
"It's not stupid to consider what's best for Paige."
"What'sbestfor Paige is the life she has. With you. Withus." She stepped closer, her hand finding mine. "Sarah doesn't get to disrupt that just because she finally decided she wants to play mommy."
"She mentioned a house in Rosewood Hills," Nate said. "Three bedrooms. Big yard."
"How convenient," Tasha muttered. "Just happens to have the perfect kid-friendly setup after eleven years of nothing."
"And something about her therapist saying she needs to re-establish the relationship before moving forward with her life."
She froze. "Moving forward how? New husband? Boyfriend who wants kids?"
"She didn't say."
"Of course she didn't. But she's painting a picture, isn't she? Stable job, nice house, therapy. Like she's checking boxes on some 'good mother' application."
I rubbed my face. "Maybe she really has gotten her life together."
"Or maybe someone in her life wants a ready-made family and she needs to secure her claim on Paige first." Tasha caught herself before she went further down that path. Thursday would tell us more. "Sorry. I'm just... the timing is too convenient, Nate. Right after you tell her parents about us? About me?"
"What if Paige needs?—"
"Stop." Tasha's voice was firm but not unkind. "Stop doing that thing where you convince yourself you're not enough. Paige doesn'tneedSarah. She needs the father who's been there every single day of her life. She needs stability and love and the family we're building."
"The door was always open," I said quietly. "I told Sarah that when she left. That I'd never stand between her and Paige if she wanted to be involved."
Tasha sighed, and I could see her shifting tactics. "Okay. Let's say you meet with her. What's your plan? What are you hoping to accomplish?"
"I don't know. Maybe understand what she really wants. Maybe see if she actually has changed."
"And if she has? If she's done the work and she's stable and she genuinely wants a relationship with Paige?"
The question I'd been avoiding. "Then we figure out what's best for Paige. Slowly. Carefully. With Paige's feelings at the center of every decision."
"And if she hasn't changed? If this is about money or image or some guy who wants her to have kids?"
"Then she doesn't get near Paige."
Tasha studied me for a long moment. "You're going to meet with her no matter what I say, aren't you?"
"I have to. If I don't, she'll use it against me. Say I'm alienating Paige, keeping them apart out of spite."
"This is exactly what she wants," Tasha said. "She's already got you second-guessing yourself, already got you worried about looking like the bad guy."
She was right. I knew she was right. But knowing something and feeling it were different things.
"Come with me," I said suddenly.
Tasha blinked. "What?"
"To meet with her. Come with me. You'll see things I miss. You'll keep me from falling into old patterns."
