It All Started With A Baby

21

1 Month Later

Blake walked up the front steps to Diane's house holding the bottle of wine in her hand.

"Here you go, mom," she said when Diane opened the front door.

She took the wine but was a little confused. "What's this for?"

"Since you don't let Caiden and I pay you for watching Wesley, I thought I would buy you something to make up for it."

"Oh wow, this is... Blake." Tears gathered in Diane's eyes. "I can't believe this."

"I thought you'd like it."

"Oh Blakey, I love it. I haven't drunk this since your father was still here."

Diane set the bottle of Chateau Pontet-Canet on the dining room table. That was the wine Diane and Walter shared together on the night of their wedding. Unfortunately, it wasn't the same year, but Blake hoped her mother would like it anyway.

"This must've cost you almost three-hundred dollars."

Blake shrugged her shoulders. "It didn't matter. I thought it would be special."

Diane hugged her daughter, thankful that they have rekindled their relationship after years of hostility and brokenness. "I love you."

"I love you too, mom."

Diane pulled away and patted her eyes with a paper towel. "Why didn't Caiden and Wes come tonight?"

"He said that we deserved just a night for ourselves without him intruding."

Diane rolled her eyes. "He's not intruding."

"I told him that too, but he insisted we have mother-daughter time."

The timer on the stove dinged and Diane took the chicken out, placing it on the hot pad on the table. Blake moved the rolls, mashed potatoes, and other vegetables onto the table.

"See, I made all this food for him because I know how much that boy can eat."

Blake laughed at her mom's frustrations. "I'll bring him stuff when I leave, don't worry."

"So, what do you want for your birthday?" Diane asked as they ate their meal.

"Hmmm. I don't really know." As she got older, coming up with birthday present ideas was almost impossible. She didn't have many wants. Other than for her bills to be paid on time, she didn't want anything else.

"Well, I have a few things in mind."

"Oh really? I'm excited to see."

"Have you talked to Lila recently?" Blake asked.

"Yes. She called me the other night. It's the first time I've spoken to her. She called me asking for me to put money in her commissary account."

"Did you?" Blake asked, feeling tense. She hoped her mother wasn't that foolish. Lila didn't deserve her mother's kindness.

Diane shook her head. "No. I'll always love Lila, she's my child. But I think it's well past her time to be an adult. To learn lessons. To suffer the consequences of her actions. She cannot rely on me to save her."

"I'm glad. I don't want her taking advantage of you. A few months ago she called me asking if she could move in with me."

"She did?" Diane was shocked.

"Yeah. Some sob story about her leaving her boyfriend and needing a place to stay because you two don't get along. I told her no. I didn't want her around my new family, or myself."