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"Will you at least call Liam and talk to him? I think you need to give him a second chance—"
"Stop. Now. Liam and I are over. I realize that you don't like that, but it is what it is. As much as I once loved him, he is my past. That life is my past. I'm sick of looking back, Mom. I need to focus on what's ahead of me, or I may never move on from this. How can you not understand that?"
Pulling the tape gun across the top of the box, I barely move my finger out of the way in time. I'm angry, moving too fast, and ready to explode at any minute. If I don't slow down, I'm going to injure myself.
"I hear what you're saying, Addy. I do. I even understand, as much as you think I don't. I just wish you would talk to him. Give him a second chance. He still loves you, you know that. Despite the fact that you left him. Despite everything that happened, he still wants to be with you. He still wants to marry you."
"And I've apologized to him for hurting him, but I'm hurting too. I need to work on me first, and then if there comes a time where I think there can still be an us, maybe we can work on that. Until then, I'm taking this job. I'm going to Denver, and I really don't want to discuss this with you anymore. My decision is made. I'm not going to change my mind. Talking to Liam will only reinforce my decision. I need time away from this place, from everything that reminds me of the baby."
"Including me?" she retorts, a note of contempt in her voice.
"Yes, Mom. Including you. Not because you remind me of what happened but because you won't let me forget it. You're constantly pushing me. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I want to move on, and you're not letting me do that."
"I'm trying to help you."
"Then stop trying!" I scream. "I don't want your help right now. I need to learn how to heal on my own. If it's even possible to heal at all. So, stop. Just stop with all of this."
"Fine. I'm done. Move to Colorado. Run away from your problems, from everyone who loves you."
Throwing the tape gun on the bed after she storms out of the room, tears threaten to fall, but I hold them back. I'm not running away from this. I'm moving on. In my own way. On my own terms. She may not be able to see that, but I do, and in time, I'll be a better person. A better version of myself.
I won't be able to figure out who that person is if I stay here.
"So,"Chloe starts as I pull into the parking structure at the airport. "Do you want me to come inside with you or would you rather I wait in the car?"
Since my mother decided to make an appearance this weekend, I filled Chloe in on how we left things. She isn't a fan of my mother's. Not because of the things she said to me that day but because in the six years I've been gone, she hasn't once made an effort to visit me.
I think my mother reminds her of her own mother.
Both are controlling or try to be. Both are opinionated and always think they know what's best for others.
The difference between Chloe and I is the fact that she was much younger than I was when her mother took control of her life with help from her father. For me, I was ready to set off on my own. It was my decision. My mother was trying to hold me back.
It'll be interesting to see the two of them in the same room tomorrow. My mother and Bev, Chloe's mom.
"Come on in. She'll be on her best behavior as long as someone else is around. It's later, when she can corner me and give me her honest opinion, that I'm concerned with. I already warned Adam that I'll be sticking to him like glue until she leaves."
Hence the reason Chloe made the trip to Denver with me. To run interference with my mom and so we can go shopping. That's next on our list. I still have to find a gift for Chloe for the baby shower. Something good since she's been raving about the gift she has for me.
Teasing me to be exact. That she found me the perfect gift.
While Chloe and I wait for my mother at baggage claim, I contemplate what I should get her. Wyatt's building them a crib, and although Lola is six years old now, Chloe kept most her clothing and toys. If they have another little girl, they're all set.
If they have a boy, that's another story.
Secretly, I think that's what they're hoping for. A little Wyatt. We'll find out soon enough. Bev has planned a gender reveal for them tomorrow night. It should be entertaining.
Adam and I are waiting to find out until the baby's born. He wants it to be a surprise. I'd prefer to know now so I can plan better. To settle the debate, we invited Wyatt and Chloe over for a game of Trivial Pursuit. Girls versus guys.
Adam and Wyatt won, even with Chloe and I feeding them beers non-stop. We tried to tip the scales in our favor and failed miserably.
"So what do you want for the baby that Adam and I can get you? I'm over here racking my brain for the perfect gift and coming up empty. You guys have so much already."
"You don't have to get us anything," she says, waving her hand in the air dismissively.
"Not an option, so give me some ideas."
"I've been dying to pick out bedding for the crib if you want to get that. I'm sure my mom will tell you what we're having if you call her."
