I nod, wiping some tears of my own. I have to know. Now. “Mom…I—I’m really proud of you…for getting sober. But—” “Baby, no,” Connie interrupts me. “I know what you’re going to say and no. Willow…she’s staying with you. I promise.” She takes in a drawn-out breath, and her chest rises. “I—I miss her beyond measure, as I missed you all those years, but I know I could relapse. I know what that did to you. I know she’s better off…with you. The stronger version of me.”
