“Lost my momma when I was just a boy.” “Oh, my goodness,” she breathed. I looked back up to the mother of the woman I loved. “I need you to know I’m going to take care of her,” I promised, my voice rougher than I intended it to be. I needed her to know that after she was gone and in heaven, because there was no doubt in my mind that a sweet soul like her wouldn’t be anywhere else, I would be there for Valerie. Her eyes warmed and filled with tears. “Sweetheart, I knew that from the moment I saw you on my phone screen.” “But I can’t protect her from the pain, Nancy.”
