Redhawk Caldera Doubt is a broken record that plays inside my head

Bridget understood immediately. She thought that she maybe knew better, but she understood. As soon as Teya came she wrapped her up in a hug too, holding tightly in return and resting there a moment without responding.

Eventually Teya drew away and she breathed out, glad her advice hadn’t been taken as an insult or an overstep.

Just being her mom is always going to be enough. Bridget replied, without a single trace of doubt. She worried about the girl endlessly, but it seemed she worried about Teya too. Her friend was so unnecessarily hard on herself. Your most important job is loving her. And you do that amazingly. Not even you could have protected her from this. Bridget hadn’t exactly been shy about voicing her opinions in the past when she’d differed in opinion on Reyes, and perhaps she would have argued against turning him away if she’d been here. But that wouldn’t have prevented his death; no matter what any of them did, Sorana would have lost a father.

But she needs to grieve him, and she needs to know that that’s okay to do. I love you, Teya, but sometimes hiding from the things that are hard just makes them worse. It was a gentle admonishment, but one that echoed a sentiment she’d been trying to get across for what felt like months. Probably she’d gotten tired of hearing it.

Let her be sad. Don’t blame yourself. She just loved him. Bridget knew she didn’t need to tell Teya to be there for her; they’d both been trying, in their own ways. Blaming herself for things she couldn’t control was stress she didn’t need right now, and her worries would be much better pointed at things she could do… like resting, mourning her ex-mate as well, and showing her daughter she wasn’t crazy for missing the wolf who’d fathered her.