“Do you really want to miss out on watching her grow?” I pressed, softening my tone but not my resolve. “Because she’ll know, Susan. She’ll know who was there for her and who wasn’t. And I want her to have a family, a real family, with people who love her without question.”
Her eyes darted from me to her granddaughter and back again. I watched her features soften, the hardness giving way to something more vulnerable. She looked older then, as if the weight of her words had suddenly aged her.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips, a sound full of years of pride and stubbornness beginning to crack. “I… I just thought…” she began, but the words trailed off into an awkward silence.
