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Rose was stunned She had no idea, but she was speechless, so she stared at her mother and continued to listen silently
"I was certain that like my , but then it went into remission I was still very bitter because I just kneould come back Why would it take my mother and nant" Her tired eyes looked away from Rose and she continued to stare out the"I didn’t want to have you, Rose Not because I didn’t want you, but because I was afraid I’d pass on ed your father I told him he already had Grace I’d help hih, but he insisted I have you" Hertirand because I was certain that I was going to die and leave you devastated the way I’d been, or worse you’d get the curse and I would have to endure losing soain" She sat up at the edge of her chair and reached for Rose’s hand "I couldn’t do it Then just when I began to believe that maybe, just maybe, we’d be okay, your father was in to explain to you what that did to me So like a coward I retreated back intoanyone in--not even you, or I should say especially you"
Heron "I helped raise Grace froirl, but I knew deep inside you were all I really had I pushed you away I refused to let you get close I wanted you to have all the love you needed, but not fro to leave you suddenly It was a terrible thing to do, but it was the only way I could think of to protect you fro Rose’s hand, she said the next sentence like it was no big deal "The cancer came back earlier this year"
"What?" Obviously her mother’s plan to keep her at bay so that she wouldn’t care was bust, because Rose did care This terrified her "It’s back?"
Her mother smiled "Just like the first ti me After ain I still have to go in often to be tested, but so far it hasn’t coainst her chest, but the relief was enormous
"That’s when I decided tomaybe it’s too late"
"It’s not," Rose said quickly
"You have your life Grace has hers"
"And you’re part of it You should’ve always been, and noe’re gonnais different" Rose frowned "But you’re right It was a terrible thing to do, and it was coht you hated ed her, feeling warmth froood to finally be able to hold you like this I may’ve never told you this, Rosie, and I’ her hair, "but I love you, baby girl, and I’ve never beenin my life than you I’ll make sure you know this every day of your life fro herthan she could’ve ever iined She cried into her mother’s shoulder, but much like the tears she shed when Vincent held her for the first time since he’d left, they were tears of pure and utter bliss Suddenly she felt seven-years-old again "I love you too, Mo lot, Vince turned to look at Rose She was shaking her head like she was trying to shake water of her ear "You okay?"
"Yeah," she said without looking at hi fro in there"
"You er ear muffs next time"
His stomach churned as they made their way back to thewith Romero for dinner, so they could finalize his contract with him Now that Vince was finally cowork on getting his business together, he’d be training all of Romero’s eet the word out about the business at the firing range, hoping he’d pick up a few clients Now he had a slew of them with Romero’s security firm He’d be booked solid for months now
The contract had actually already been finalized and signed, but he needed a good reason to get Rose to theit sound romantic The fact that it was the closest restaurant to the firing range helped
As promised, Romero was already there, but Vince frohen he saw his uncles with hiet suspicious Then he saw Sofia peek her head out from the back rooirls ran behind the bar squealing, and Alex ran after the behind the bar before Rose could see hi hi to Romero and his uncles to notice
Now Eric, Sofia’s husband, was also peeking and giving hiave the was quicklyVince could just picture his giant cousin Alex hunched behind the bar holding his hands to his daughters’Rose’s chair in, he noticed Valerie, Izzy and Grace hiding behind their menus in a corner booth Geez This fan