Read Before Forever (Sharing Space #6) for Free Online

watched it happen. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again. I told her it would be best if she let you go. Sent you home.” There were no tears, just a steely resolve I hadn’t seen in my mother in years.
     
    “Ma, Chloe and me… and Charlotte… that’s not the same thing. You weren’t in any danger of losing me to her or to anyone. You had no right to go to her and say any of that.”
     
    “I have every right. I’m your mother.” She lifted her chin defiantly.
     
    “And I’m not a child!”
     
    I’d never raised my voice to my mother before. I began to apologize, but my father said, “He’s right. Did we fail Charlotte? Maybe. But she also failed herself.” My mother gasped, but he kept going. “You think I don’t feel guilty? She was my baby girl and I couldn’t protect her. But this family isn’t going to heal by trying to control the children we have left. And I’m not just talking about Patrick. Maggie’s marriage is over. You can’t fix that. She’s an adult and we will support her, but she needs to make her own decisions. Trying so hard to control everything is going to tear this family further apart.”
     
    She didn’t argue, just cried as my father took her hand. I couldn’t believe what she’d done, and I was angry, but I also felt sorry for her. If there’s one thing I learned over the past few months it’s that everyone grieves differently. My mother’s way proved to be destructive, but her heart was in the right place. That’s the only reason I didn’t completely lose it with her at that moment.
    I stood up and headed for the door.
     
    “Patrick.” My mother sniffed and wiped the tears streaming down her face. “Where are you going?”
     
    “Home.”
     
    *** 
     
    I’d spent the last few months living in luxury, but stepping in to my apartment felt more comforting than anything a five-star hotel offered. It looked very much as it had when I left, like four months hadn’t passed and I’d just come home from a day at the studio. I called for Chloe but didn’t get an answer. Her bedroom door was ajar and I could see that she wasn’t in there. I put my luggage into my bedroom and went back to the living room.
     
    It was warm for early evening so I closed the windows and switched on the air conditioner unit. Then I went to the kitchen in search of something cold to drink while I waited for Chloe to get home. I considered calling her cell, but she had never answered any of my calls before and I had no reason to think that it would be any different now.
     
    Knowing what my mother had done didn’t change that Chloe decided to end our relationship, but we needed to talk about it. I wasn’t sure if hoping it had some influence on her decision was just wishful thinking on my part, but I had to know.
     
    I was in the kitchen, two swigs into a beer, when there was a knock at the door. It was Mr. Tucci.
     
    “Hey, hey, Hollywood heartthrob.”
     
    “Hi, Mr. Tucci.” I tried to keep the frustration off my face. Mr. Tucci was a nice guy and it wasn’t his fault that I was a walking ball of nerves at the thought of seeing Chloe again.
     
    “I thought I heard someone come in. I was hoping to leave this with Chloe, but your copy is in here too so even better.”
     
    He handed me a manila envelope. “What is it?”
     
    “Your new leases. I told Chloe you guys could each go month-to-month until you were ready to renew for a full year, or not.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “Do you, uh, know if you’re going to be renewing for a full year?”
     
    I’d fully intended to before I left. Now it depended on how things went when Chloe got home. “Uh, sure. I believe so. This is really cool of you though,” I said, holding the envelope. “We’ll get these back to you as soon as possible. Do you know where Chloe is, by any chance?”
     
    “Sure don’t. Hey, also, when is your character coming back from that deserted island?”
     
    I smirked. “I