Micah POV

It was time to tell my mother that the formal request had been accepted. I just got news it had been and though she knew I was going to do this, I hadn’t told her this to her face.

I found her in the kitchen, slicing apples with surgical precision. She didn’t look up when I walked in—just kept slicing like the fruit had personally offended her.

Mother wasn’t one for spending time in the kitchen. It was honestly a surprise to see her in the kitchen right now, but I wasn’t going to question that right now. What mattered the most was being able to explain to...