I heard what Mom said, but it didn’t make sense. My birth mother had passed away when I was little. I didn’t know she had a sister.

“I don’t understand.”

Mom gripped my hands tighter. “According to the attorney, she passed away, and she left you her estate.”

My mind went blank. “Her estate? What does that mean?”

“I’m not sure what’s involved,” said Mom. “The attorney got in touch with the adoption agency, who just passed the message to me. Your—your aunt didn’t want to disrupt things here for you, but it sounds like you’re her only living relative. She left you something sizable enough for an estate lawyer to be involved.”

Mo was quiet. I waited for her to speak because she always had good advice, but she only stood there with a worried look on her face.

“I don’t really know what to say,” I said. My adoption was open, but my birth mother never made contact. It wasn’t a huge deal. It was just the way things were—but now, someone related to her, to me, was leaving me an estate? I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.

“That’s okay, baby,” said Mom. “I don’t know what to say either.”

Mo hung by the door, watching us, then looked down at her clasped hands.

“We don’t have to do anything,” Mom said quietly. “We don’t have to respond or we can—if you want. I don’t want to jump in front of you to make a decision.” Worry bloomed in her eyes and in the faint lines around her mouth.

“So someone who shares my DNA left me something in her will. Cool.” I glanced toward my room. The door was cracked and I could see the tangle of ivy slinking its way up my bedpost. “Let’s see what it is.”

My parents were the two people I loved most in the world, and it made me sad that they were stressed over this. Bringing up my birth family was always a little stressful for them, mostly because they loved me and didn’t want me to be upset. I was curious when I was younger, and they answered all my questions as best they could. As I got older, the topic came up less, but it was never off-limits.

“Maybe it’s a pile of money and y’all won’t have to moonlight as exotic dancers to pay the bills,” I said. “I wouldn’t judge you if you did but I know nine thirty is y’all’s bedtime.” Mom laughed, and I leaned in to put my face in her neck like I used to do when I was little, breathing her in, feeling calmed by the beat of her heart. “Let’s get all the facts and then go from there. No more stressing, okay?”