Joey hesitated. “I—I can talk to people. I was going to try.”Anna laughed. “Please, Joey. You barely talk to us. You think you’re suddenly going to be the life of the party?” Then came the words that made my blood run cold: “I don’t even know why you want to be there. I’m not your mom.”Lily added, “Yeah, Joey. It’s not like you’re really family.”I couldn’t stay silent. I stepped in, telling Joey and Lily to go to their rooms. Then I faced Anna,”Joey planned this whole celebration for you,” I said, anger barely contained. “He wanted to make you happy, and you just crushed him.”She stammered, trying to justify herself, but I didn’t let her. “You never gave him a chance.

You never saw how much he cared. And I won’t let you hurt him anymore.””The party’s in an hour,” she said, desperate to move on.”There is no party,” I told her. “Not for you. Not in this house.”Her face twisted in anger. “You’re throwing me out over this?””You showed me who you really are,” I said. “Pack your things. You’re done here.”She stormed out, leaving Joey watching from the stairs. His voice was small. “Did I do something wrong?”I put my hands on his shoulders. “No, buddy. You did everything right.””But she—””She didn’t deserve your kindness,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean it was wrong for you to give it.”His lip quivered, and I pulled him into a hug. “You and me, kid. That’s all we need.”For the first time in a long time, I knew we were going to be okay.