I knelt beside her, knowing she deserved an honest answer. “Because I wanted your father to believe somebody still wanted me,” I admitted. She stared at me for a moment before wrapping both arms around my neck. Then she whispered something that changed the way I saw the entire afternoon. “But we wanted you here, Mom. We always want you.”
I held her tightly as tears filled my eyes. My daughters had never judged me by my waist, my clothes, or the number on a scale. They had loved me through every difficult year, even when I struggled to love myself. I suddenly realized that I had spent too much time trying to become the woman Max wanted instead of appreciating the woman my daughters already loved. Edward stood quietly beside us, giving us the space we needed. For the first time that day, I wasn’t thinking about how I looked to anyone else.
THE STORY CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE… 👇👇👇
