A Mother's Bond

69

Beyoncé   December 19, 2016
Patient. I was being very patient. No one could say I wasn't. I gave Sarayah a full 40 hours to be mad. Did I force her to speak to me? No. Did I try to give her a hug? No. I was being very good. But with only a day left until her birthday, I was done with that.

I pulled half my hair up into a ponytail and braided it. Turning slightly, I observed my hair in the mirror, making sure I looked cute for a day out on the town.

Satisfied, I marched down to Sarayah's room. I nearly burst into the room, but then I thought better of it. After all, she was sharing a room with Nevaeh. I didn't want to invade Nevaeh's privacy. That would be rude. So, I knocked.

The only response I got were a few angry groans. I rolled my eyes and opened the door, letting myself in. Sarayah and Nevaeh were all boo'd up, snuggling beneath the covers. I narrowed my eyes. I reached into my pocket, slipping my phone out. I held my phone up and snapped a few tasteful pictures before putting it back in its place.

"Okay! Enough of that! Get your little hormone filled bodies up!" I shouted, causing them to fly apart.

Sarayah fell to the floor with a painful sounding thud. Oops. She sat up, glaring over the bed at me.

"What are you doing in here? I'm mad at you, remember?" She reminded me, climbing back into bed.

"No, you're pretending to be mad to punish me. And don't even deny it. You suck at holding grudges against people you love. You're only ever mad for like five minutes, and then you spend the rest of the time trying to stay mad."

She pouted. "That's not true."

Nevaeh turned away from her, snickering. Sarayah shot her a look. I knew I'd basically been validated, but I wanted her to know I wasn't taking things lightly.

"Okay, Sarayah. I've already told you I was sorry, but I will say it again. I was wrong for violating your trust. I wish I hadn't done it, but I did. And I was wrong. Do you believe me?"

She sighed. "Yes."

"Okay, good," I said. "I understand your hesitation. You're probably thinking if you forgive me too soon, it'll cheapen the hurt I caused you. But that's not true. I spent months seeing Alison hurt you, only to have you to turn around and forgive her because of how much you–"

I practically choked on the words, but I pushed past my distaste and continued. "Because of how much you loved her. So, your forgiveness now only shows me how much you love me. But unlike Alison, I'm not gonna take advantage. I won't be another source of pain for you. I'm gonna show you that you've finally found the right person to love unconditionally."

Sarayah's expression hadn't changed the whole time, but her eyes had been carefully studying my face as I spoke. She was listening carefully.

I smiled at her. "Now. All that being said, are you mad at me?"

Nevaeh looked over at Sarayah. "You have a pretty great mom."

Sarayah looked over at Nevaeh, her face finally breaking into a smile. "I know. I'm lucky to have her." Then she turned to me. "See how I waited until you were finished speaking, Mr. West?"

We laughed, and she stood up on the bed, her arms held wide. "Okay, you waited patiently. Come get your hug."

I grinned and walked over, letting her envelop me in a hug. After a long moment, I pulled away. "Okay, we have to get moving. We have a lot to do today." I patted her butt twice, and she let me go, walking over to the other end of the bed.

"I'm giving you 15 minutes to get ready. That should be enough for you girls. Oh, and wake Kai up for me."

"Okay," they chorused, already moving around.