Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"Aunt Sallie, please come to The Gilded Whisper Estates-save me!"

He needed backup.

At that moment, his thoughts drifted to his mother.

Earlier today, Miss Sheila had helped clear things up for him, so he didn't have to worry about classmates pestering him about his mom anymore.

And now that his mother could speak again-she'd even become the chief judge for the paper-cutting contest. The paper art of the Zimmerman Mansion she made was on display, and loads of kids had gone to see it and were talking about her story.

Even if his mom stood in front of everyone right now, no one would ever look down on her for being mute.

He was her son. Of course his mom wouldn't really abandon him; she loved him so much. If he apologized to her-really apologized-she'd definitely forgive him.

After all, the last time he'd threatened to jump out the window, his mom had rushed back for him.

And whenever his father tried to discipline him, his mom had always stood between them.

So he sent a message to Jessica too.

"Mom, please come back-save me..."

But as soon as he hit send, his phone flashed up an exclamation mark.

Henry's mind went blank.

What he didn't know was that after the last time-when he'd tricked Jessica into coming back by threatening to jump-she'd blocked his number.

He hadn't tried to contact her since. He had no idea that he'd ended up on his mom's blocked list.

His emotions were a tangled mess.

Did his mom really not want him anymore?

Meanwhile, Aunt Sallie got Henry's message and immediately tried calling him.

Henry hung up. If his mom wasn't coming, Aunt Sallie was his only hope.

He quickly texted her again.

“Aunt Sallie, I can't answer your call-Dad's going to hit me. Please come now, or it'll be really bad for me."

Sallie didn't hesitate. She jumped in her car and sped straight to The Gilded Whisper Estates.

At the same time, Jessica had just arrived at The Silverthread Eatery. She and Daisy were looking at the paper-cut illustrations, waiting for Carlisle and the others

to arrive.

Jessica held Daisy in her arms. The two of them were laughing and chatting together.

For Jessica, who had once been a mother, there was a gentle, radiant warmth in her smile.

Vince offered a suggestion. "Jess, since Daisy's parents are gone, and you two get along so well, how would you feel about being her godmother? That is, if you're willing."

"Oh, yes! Uncle Vince, I'd love for Miss Jessy to be my godmother," Daisy chimed in eagerly.

Jessica was so gentle-she smelled nice, felt soft and comforting, and was endlessly patient. She just gave off that motherly vibe.

"What do you think, Jess?"

Daisy turned, her eyes full of hope, and pressed a small hand to Jessica's cheek. "Miss Jessy, will you be my godmother? I really like you."

Daisy was such a sweet kid-an orphan, too. Jessica knew exactly how that kind of loneliness felt.

She wanted to say yes.

But her illness was still uncertain. Even though her chances were better now, there was no guarantee of a cure. If she let Daisy get too attached and things

went badly, she'd only end up hurting the child more.

But the hope in Daisy's eyes made it impossible to refuse.

She could worry about her illness later.

Just like when she'd lost her

voice-after all those years thinking she'd never recover, she'd started to get better. She'd even found a

doctor who'd spent sev

researching aphasia, and now, so much sooner than she'd expected, she could speak again.

Medicine was advancing every day. The treatment she was on was helping, at least a little.

She ought to have more hope.

Hope was what made life better.

Having someone to care about was what made you want to keep living.

When she was first diagnosed with cancer, she hadn't wanted treatment. She'd felt hopeless about Timothy and his son, felt like she had nothing left to live for, and¶ust wanted to disappear somewhere quiet and alone.

But now she had people around her-Ines, Herbert, Vince, Mr. Smith, Carlisle and

the others.

They made her realize she still had worth.

So she was starting to believe in life again.

A little more hope, a few more bonds-maybe she'd find a better way to keep

going.

Jessica kissed Daisy's soft cheek. "Of course, honey. I'd be honored to be your godmother."

"That's wonderful! No time like the present-let's make it official today," Vince declared.noveldrama

Vince had two reasons for doing this. First, his grandfather really wanted Jessica to feel part of their family, and making her Daisy's godmother would help her become one of the Zimmermans in everyone's eyes.

Second, it was a not-so-subtle jab at Timothy and his son-especially Henry, that brat who liked to go looking for mothers everywhere. Vince figured, why not let Jessica have a daughter of her own?

"Vince, but I haven't prepared a gift for Daisy yet. Isn't that tradition?" Jessica said.

"What would you like to give her?"

Jessica remembered what she'd

seen as a child-when people made someone family, they always brought a gift. For families with modest means, it was often a Silver spoon and bowl; for wealthier families, a gold set. Those seemed

essential, and new clothes, too.

"A gold spoon and bowl," she said. Clothes could wait.

Vince checked his watch. "We've got time. Carlisle and the others won't be here

for a bit, and there's a jeweler nearby. Let's go pick them out."