Damon sits still and his face softens, and then he smiles. “I would love nothing more than to accompany a princess to her ball.”
Emily’s eyes sparkle, and her arms squeeze his neck. “Thank you. Thank you.”
Tomorrow, my mom will be flying back home. And it’s nice to get to spend a couple days with her. Hopefully it won’t be three years before we see her again. Emily has really enjoyed having her around. Eventually, I’d like to talk her into coming to live in Texas. Things would be so much easier if she would just move here. I hate that she’s all alone, and what if something happened?
When we wake up bright and early at five a.m. to take her to the airport, Emily isn’t happy. She begs her to stay. My mom’s response is not what I expect. “Maybe I’ll come back down here soon. I really hate going so long without seeing you girls.”
Maybe she means she has given it some thought. I cross my fingers that she will come to her senses and just make the damn move.
The ride to the airport is short, but Emily doesn’t want to let go of her hand when she tries to get out of the car.
“Please. Don’t go. Stay with me.” Tears fall from her eyes, leaving a pale streak down her face. “I’m going to miss you, Grandma.”
She cups her face. “I’ll be back soon, sweetie. Don’t you worry.”
I hug her tight. “Call me when you get home, please. Be careful.”
Damon gets out and helps her take her bags inside to check in with the airline. Watching her leave is rough, for me as well as Emily, but we can’t change her mind.