“That makes sense.”
She looked at her hands.
“I thanked him.”
“That was thoughtful.”
“He asked if we could try dating again.”
“What did you say?”
“I told him I’m glad he’s changing, but I don’t want to get back together.”
“How did he respond?”
“He said he understood.”
Then Emma said something that made me realize just how much she’d grown.
“I think Tyler really wants to become a better person. But I don’t have to be his girlfriend to appreciate that.”
I smiled.
“No, sweetheart. You don’t.”
That evening, Daniel found Emma at the kitchen table working on her art assignment.
She had decided to draw my portrait after all.
In the picture, I was laughing with my mouth wide open.
Daniel stood behind her chair.
“You captured your mother’s smile perfectly.”
Emma grinned.
“She used to be embarrassed by it.”
