Chapter 11 - Tessa’s Mother Had Come Back OnceNatalie lived in Seattle.
She answered Damian’s call after three rings.
“Damian?”
Fear immediately entered her voice.
“Why are you calling?”
“Lucille told me.”
Silence.
Then Natalie began crying.
“I knew someday.”
“You came to Charleston.”
“Yes.”
“Two years ago.”
“Yes.”
“You came to my house.”
“Yes.”
“Lucille turned you away.”
“Yes.”
Damian closed his eyes.
“Why didn’t you call me directly?”
“I emailed.”
“She deleted them.”
Natalie started crying harder.
“I thought you ignored me.”
“Why didn’t you call my cell?”
There was a long pause.
“Shame.”
Damian’s jaw tightened.
“That isn’t enough.”
“I know.”
“You left Tessa when she was four.”
“Yes.”
“You disappeared for years.”
“Yes.”
“You came back once.”
“Yes.”
“And when one house manager told you no, you gave up again.”
Natalie cried.
“Yes.”
Damian appreciated the lack of excuses.
Lucille had interfered.
Natalie had still surrendered too quickly.
Both truths mattered.
“Do you want contact now?”
“If Tessa wants.”
Better.
Not:
I’m her mother.
Not:
I have rights.
“If she doesn’t?”
Natalie’s voice broke.
“Then I live with that.”
Damian told Tessa with Dr. Maya Reeves present.
The girl listened without blinking.
“Mom came here?”
“Yes.”
“And Lucille said no?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know?”
“No.”
“Would you have let her see me?”
Damian hesitated.
Tessa noticed.
“You don’t know.”
“No.”
At the time, Damian still carried enormous anger toward Natalie.
He might have refused.
Or demanded conditions.
He would not rewrite himself into the perfect parent.
Tessa’s eyes filled.
“Why didn’t Mom try harder?”
“She got scared.”
“That’s stupid.”
“Yes.”
“She should have.”
“Yes.”
Tessa began crying.
“Did she not love me?”
Damian moved closer.
“I think she loved you.”
Tessa shook her head.
“That’s not enough.”
The same sentence Avery had said.
Damian’s throat tightened.
“No.”
Love was not enough.
Showing up mattered.
Respect mattered.
Choice mattered.
Tessa asked:
“Can I talk to her?”
“Do you want to?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then we wait.”
“No.”
Tessa wiped her face.
“I want to hear her.”
They arranged a call.
Natalie appeared on screen looking terrified.
Tessa stared.
Natalie whispered:
“Hi, baby.”
Tessa’s expression hardened.
“Don’t call me that.”
Natalie nodded quickly.
“Okay.”
“Why did you leave?”
Natalie began with:
“I was overwhelmed.”
Tessa said nothing.
“I was selfish.”
Still nothing.
“I told myself you would be better with your dad.”
Tessa looked at Damian.
Then back.
“Did you ask me?”
“No.”
“Then why did you get to decide?”
Natalie started crying.
“I shouldn’t have.”
Tessa’s face softened slightly.
“Why didn’t you come back?”
“Shame.”
“That’s dumb.”
“Yes.”
“Lucille made you leave once.”
“Yes.”
“Why not come again?”
Natalie looked directly at her daughter.
“Because I was still thinking about how afraid I felt instead of how abandoned you felt.”
Tessa cried.
Damian looked away.
That answer hurt because it was accurate.
Then Tessa said:
“I don’t want to see you yet.”
Natalie’s face collapsed.
“Okay.”
“You’re not mad?”
“No.”
“Sad?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Natalie almost laughed through tears.
“Fair.”
The call ended after eleven minutes.
Tessa sat silently.
Then:
“I have too many moms.”
Damian smiled sadly.
“You have one biological mother.”
“Avery had Paige.”
“Yes.”
“And Marjorie.”
“Yes.”
“And Lucille was kind of…”
He waited.
Tessa struggled.
“Something.”
“That’s okay.”
Not every relationship needed a title.
Then Tessa asked:
“Can I meet Avery now?”
The sisters had already planned it.
Two days later, Avery arrived in Richmond.
Tessa froze when she saw her.
Then:
“You look like Dad.”
Avery smiled.
“Unfortunately.”
Damian laughed.
Tessa ran toward her—
then stopped.
“Can I hug you?”
Avery’s expression changed.
“Yes.”
Tessa wrapped her arms around her.
Avery closed her eyes.
Damian turned away.
When he looked back, both girls were crying.
Avery whispered:
“You’re really my sister.”
Tessa nodded.
Then said something that broke the tension.
“And you’re really tall.”
May you like
Avery laughed.
For the first time in twelve years, the Cross sisters occupied the same room without an adult deciding whether they were allowed to know each other.
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