His little cheeks turned red before he dashed out the door. With a soft chuckle, I turned and walked over to my desk. I had a few things I needed to wrap up before I headed home. Then the third annual Wilde Christmas Morning for the kids at River Falls Haven was in less than a week, and there was still so much to do.
“Vivianne?”
My head snapped up at the long-forgotten memory of that voice—and I turned to see my mother standing in the doorway of my classroom.
She wore a long winter coat with black high heels. Her hair was pulled up into a neat bun on top of her head. Black leather gloves were folded in one hand. Her makeup was done to perfection, as were her manicured nails.
Shocked at the sight of my mother, whom I hadn’t seen or heard from in over four years, I asked, “Mom? What…what are you doing here?”
She attempted to smile. “May I come in?”
I motioned with my hand for her to enter the room, but I stayed behind my desk.
“I read about your wedding last summer.”
My brows drew down. “You’re reading the paper from River Falls?”
She shook her head. “It was in theDenver Times. It was newsworthy that Senator Pennington’s daughter was married, but the article said it wasn’t known if her parents were in attendance.”
Even more stunned, I took a step back, but I quickly regained my composure. “Well, I’m sorry if that made Senator Pennington receive bad press. It wasn’t intended.”
She swallowed. “You mean your father?”
“No. I mean Senator Pennington.”
Letting out a long breath, she turned and took in the room. “You’re teaching. What grade?”
“Fifth-grade English and history.”
Looking back at me, she smiled slightly, then dropped her gaze to my stomach. “And expecting a baby. When are you due?”
Our baby was due on March 12, but there was no way I was going to tell her that.
“Did you come here for a reason, Emily?” I knew calling her by her first name would get under her skin.
“It’s Emily now?”
Shrugging, I replied, “I was caught off guard when I first saw you.”
“Vivianne, I’m your mother. You can call me Mom.”
“Can I? Because from where I’m standing, you never really acted much like a mother.” I let out a sharp huff of breath. “I’m pretty sure a father and mother wouldn’t turn their own child out the moment she turned eighteen.”
Her eyes closed for a few moments before she opened them and met my gaze. My mother’s hazel eyes were filled with something that I could have sworn was regret. Growing up, I’d always been so grateful that I’d gotten my father’s blue eyes. Now, for the first time, I noticed how beautiful my mother’s were. Streaks of gold ran through the hazel, giving the illusion that her eyes were sparkling.
“That’s why I came here today, Vivianne. I wanted to apologize and tell you that I am so sorry for what your father and I did. We handled it all wrong, and if I could go back…” Her words faded off.
“That’s the problem. We can’t go back.”
She shook her head. “No, we can’t.” She stood up a bit taller and forced a smile. “But we can move forward. And your father and I would like to be a part of your life.”
Something was off. There was no way she was here simply because she felt bad. I moved to the front of my desk and leaned against it. “What do you need from me?”
Trying to look as if she had no idea what I meant, she asked, “What kind of question is that?”
“It’s asimplequestion, Emily. You’re here because you need me for something.”
Swallowing, gaze shifting away briefly, she replied, “I’m here because your father and I truly are sorry for the way we treated you. We want you back in our lives, Vivianne.”
