\u201cWell,\u201d I said, folding my napkin and dabbing the corner of my lips like a good Southern lady. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you stay for dinner? I\u2019ve got some beans on the stove and cornbread in the oven.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes lit up like I\u2019d handed him the deed. \u201cSure, Ma. That sounds real nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
I got up slowly, knees creaking louder than the floorboards, and made my way to the kitchen. As I stirred the pot, I looked out the window toward the shed. James built that thing with his bare hands. The walls still hold his smell\u2014cedar and pipe tobacco.<\/p>\n
If Evan thinks I\u2019m soft just because I knit and talk to my plants, he\u2019s forgotten who raised him.<\/p>\n
The tea sat untouched on the table behind me, cooling next to a vase of fresh\u2011cut roses\u2014the same ones I used to prune while Evan played in the yard back before he got too busy to come home. In my apron pocket, the little seed pouch was safe. I\u2019d take it to Laura first thing in the morning. But tonight, I\u2019d let him think he\u2019d won.<\/p>\n
And sweetheart, he really shouldn\u2019t have called me obsolete. Not in this house. Not in my garden. Because this old woman\u2019s roots run deep.<\/p>\n
I locked the vault behind him\u2014of trust, not steel.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/comntinue-reading.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"