+ raelynn's pov
After going to the graveyard, I decided I would go to my mom's house. She would always make sure I was okay on the anniversary's of dad's death. She would go out of her way to make my day the tiniest bit better despite how much pain she held.
That's something I adored about my mother. No matter what, she would always put others before her. I've only just learnt to appreciate her as much as I should. We never had the strongest relationship, but after the death, we instantly grew closer. Whether it was because we were the only family we had left, or we just feared we would lose each other, our relationship grew stronger by the second.
The sky grew darker, still clear of stars. The dullness of the night worsened my mood. Driving to my house, I could already picture all the memories I had with my dad.
A few months after his death, I decided to move out. I couldn't manage to even stay in my house without bursting out of tears. My mom found it hard living alone, but knew it was best for me and her. Being nineteen, I wanted to be independent and responsible.
I pulled into the familiar driveway, preparing for the water works. I knocked on the door to see my mom open it with a sad smile. Despite it being 1.30am, I knew mom would be awake due to the amount of grief stopping us from getting a second of sleep.
"Hey, mom." I engulfed in a much needed hug before entering the house. "How you holding up?"
"Same as always. It's never going to get better Rae. He is never coming back," light sobs escaped her mouth as I hugged her again, rubbing her back.
"He'd want us to remember him with laughs, not tears." I contradicted myself, only coping with the death with nothing but tears.
We sat down on the couch, with photo albums surrounding us. It was the same every year; mom would look at pictures of dad while crying all night. I, however, spent most of the day at the graveyard.
"How are you anyway, you don't visit much, Raelynn."
"I know, I'm sorry. I've been busy with work and I've just been caught up in some stuff."
"What has been so important, you can't come visit your mother? A boy..?" She teased. She tried lightening the mood and I appreciated it.
"Maybe," I smirked.
"Oh, really! I'm so glad you're moving on from Mica. I know how upset you were over the break up."
"I'm happy again, Mom. I really like him," I blushed talking about Grayson.
"Well, who is he then," she asked.
"His name's Grayson. He's so sweet and I really like him, but..." I hesitated before continuing, "do you remember someone named Ethan Dolan?"
"The guy who killed your father," she mumbled.
"Grayson and Ethan are twins."
She stayed silent after I spoke. I was worried about what she was thinking.
"Does he make you happy?"
"Very happy, Mom. I haven't felt this was in so long." A small smile appeared on my lips thinking of Grayson.
"Then it's completely fine. If he makes you happy, I'm happy. I trust you to be with someone who you know is right. And your Dad would want you happy. There's nothing more I want in this world other than you smile."
