We pulled up to Mom’s care facility ten minutes later, the three of us bursting through the door.
“Where is he?” Levi was all business.
“This way.” An orderly led us through the familiar maze of hallways to Mom’s suite.
Still several rooms away, we could hear the commotion. Austin’s shouts were punctuated by the sharp bang of unidentified objects hitting a wall.
I hastened my footsteps, pushing past the orderly to reach the open doorway. And what I saw damn near broke my heart.
Mom was pale, her entire body shaking, but somehow, she still found the strength to lob paperbacks across the room. Some hit her intended target—Austin—while others went wide, a dozen or more of them littered across the floor.
Then there was my boy, who was falling apart right before my eyes. Tears streamed down his face, his hair a tangled mess, as he begged for her to recognize him.
“Mom, please,” he sobbed, stepping closer.
“I’m not your mom,” she yelled back, throwing another book. “Go away!”
I was frozen to the spot, watching his heartbreak unfold and unable to do a damn thing to stop it.
Levi took action, approaching Austin from behind and wrapping his arms around him in a bear hug.
The teen struggled against Levi’s hold, demanding to be set free as he thrashed wildly, but a few whispered words in his ear, and his whole body sagged. Then he spun around, burying his face against his stepfather’s shoulder and crying his little heart out.
“I want my mom,” Austin blubbered.
Levi only hugged him tighter. “I know, bud.”
“Arizona?”
I sucked in a sharp breath, the call of my name from that familiar voice shocking. For a second, I thought I might have imagined it; it had been so long since she’d recognized me.
Heart in my throat, I spun around. “M-mom?”
Her blue eyes held such warmth. “Oh, my sweet girl. I’ve missed you.”
A sob burst past my lips. Was this real?
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Concern creased her forehead.
I dabbed at the moisture pooled at the corner of my eyes before crossing the room and pulling her into an embrace.
All too soon, we broke apart, and she cupped my cheeks. “You always were so beautiful. How’s Austin?”
I turned to the boy who stood only a few feet away, betrayal etched across his face.
“He has the best parts of you.” I kept my eyes locked on him as I spoke to my mother. “And he makes every day worth living.”
Austin stormed out of the room with Levi hot on his heels.
Mom smoothed a hand down the length of my hair. “I always knew you’d make an incredible mother, Arizona.”
Tears filled my eyes, and my voice cracked. “I learned from the best.”
“Even when you lost your way, I never stopped loving you for a single second. I hope you know that.”
“I do.” I nodded. “And I love you too. Thank you for taking care of Austin when I couldn’t. Thank you for letting me come home when I got clean.”
She sniffled. “I always knew you could do it.”
