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Maura may have forgiven Hope and wants a relationship with her biological mother, but Angela is her mother in every way that matters. "I do have some conditions about this – our relationship," she tells Hope.
Hope nods furiously. "Of course. What are they?"
She sighs. "You may have given birth to me, and Constance is my adoptive mom, and I love her, but Angela is my mom. She, Jane, Tommy, and Frankie are my family. They love me, and they will not hesitate to tell me if they think you're in the wrong."
Hope snorts. "I've already been on the receiving end of that, and it's fine. I won't interfere in your relationship with them since the Rizzolis seems so important to you. Maura, I don't want to hurt you any longer. I will do anything I possibly can to gain your trust." She will not let this slip through her fingers. She definitely fucked it up last time.
Maura smiles at her biological mother. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."
And that's when Angela steps in. "You'll have to go through us if you do hurt her again. I will not stand for anyone hurting my daughter. You got that? I have four children and nobody – and I mean nobody – will ever touch them on my watch."
"I understand exactly what you mean. I'll call you later and maybe we can meet for lunch?" Hope has never been in this position before and she doesn't have any clue about her standing. She's trying to do anything she can so Maura will have a relationship with her. Her eldest daughter matters, no matter what she's done before.
"Of course. I look forward to it." Maura impulsively hugs her biological mother and then watches her walk out the door. She turns back towards Angela and Jane. "I didn't just make a mistake, didn't I?"
Jane shakes her head. "Of course you didn't. You made the right choice, Maura. I said no judgment, remember? And I think Hope is serious, but we'll take it one step at a time. You fine with that?"
"Of course. And thank you for standing up to me, Angela. I appreciate it more than you know." Maura is in awe of the older woman's feelings towards her.
"Sweetheart, you took me in after my divorce. You're a wonderful woman, and I'm proud to call you my daughter. Hopefully, sometime soon, Hope will feel that way about you because you deserve it, Maura." Angela sniffles and pulls her in for a hug. "I love you."
And that's when Maura finally breaks. Her voice cracks as she thanks her. "I love you too, Angela."
"And I love you both." Jane laughs and joins the other two in the hug. She's grateful they've been able to provide Maura with the family she needs. She doesn't trust Hope and will be keeping an eye on her, but she wants her to prove herself for Maura's sake. That's why she talked with her earlier.
"You know we feel the same way about you." Angela is thrilled to have these two women as her daughters.
"Yeah we do." Maura sniffles and reluctantly steps away from the hug. She tries to pull herself together, but fails so she heads to the couch to calm down.
Jane sits down next to her. "You up to calling Constance? You probably should talk to her."
Maura shrugs. "I don't know how much more drama I can deal with today. I've been through a lot in the past few days."
"That is true, but you should probably call her tomorrow and explain what's going on. Maybe she'll be supportive." Jane is going to be pissed if she isn't and will personally hunt Constance down. She will then proceed to kick her ass if she hurts Maura yet again.
"I'm hoping she will." In a way, Maura's lucky to have three mothers who love her and want to be involved in her life. Most people don't have this, and she feels guilty about that. It's irrational, but that's the way it is.
"Don't worry." Jane grins at her best friend and hugs her again. She's going to ease Maura's worries any way she can. It's the least she can do, especially after what they put her through after her father returned. That wasn't an easy time for any of them, but they got through it in the end.
"I'll try my best not to." But Maura can't stop running it over in her head. She's afraid of Hope hurting her again, but she is determined to she will stick this out and see where it goes.
"We're going to enjoy the rest of the day and nothing can ruin it," Angela declares. She is determined to lift Maura's spirits and end the night on a high note. She will not let Hope's unexpected visit derail their plans.
"Good plan, Ma." Jane is encouraged by her mother's attitude and gets up to help her. Maura follows a few seconds later.
Maura, Jane, and Angela aren't going to let Hope ruin anything, even though she had good intentions. Maura is glad she ended up forgiving her birth mother, but caution is going to be her friend for a long time. And fortunately, she'll be able to go to Jane and Angela for advice – they always know the right thing to say and help her feel normal. That's exactly what she needs.
They're going to need each other in the future and all three will be able to lean on each other. That is what is important in the end – family is everything, especially those of choice. But for now, they'll just relish in each other's company and salvage what's left of the day. Maura will talk to Hope later, and their relationship will be tentative at first until they learn more about the other. Angela and Hope will also meet to discuss the daughter they share since Maura is significant to them both.