AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Back in my office, I get the computer set up with something Chloe will like. Then I wave her over to me. “Do you know how much I love you?”
She throws her arms around my neck and squeezes. “I do. And I love you too. I’m so excited to have sleepovers with you for the next year.”
My stomach twists. Does she think this arrangement has an end date? Is that all she wants?
“And you’re sure you’re okay with staying here? If you’ve changed your mind and want to go back to Paris with your mom, that’s okay.”
“Honestly?” she asks, her voice soft, reminding me that, although she sometimes acts as mature as I feel, she’s barely more than a little girl.
“Always, Bug. I always want your honesty.”
“I feel bad because Idon’tfeel bad.” She cringes. “I know I’m going to miss Mom, but…” She looks away quickly, then glances back to me, but she doesn’t make eye contact.
“Chlo, you can tell me anything,” I remind her.
She takes a deep breath. “I’d rather be with you. It’s nothing against her, it’s just… I know we don’t say it, and I know we don’t talk about it, but you’re also my mom.”
“I am.” I smile. “We both are.”
Thankfully, Cynthia’s pep talk has helped me realize that it’s okay for Chloe to want us all. Sure, it’s unconventional, but millions of people co-parent all the time. This isn’t all that different from blended families and stepparents. We both love Chloe. We’ve both always been part of her life. Who she lives with doesn’t change that. “I couldn’t have done anything without Cynthia’s help,” I tell Chloe. She’s old enough to understand things like this now. “She gave you something that I couldn’t when you were born.”
“But you can now, right?” Chloe asks, wringing her hands and peeking up at me.
This girl. She is so wise. “Yeah, Chlo,” I say, looking into her deep, soulful eyes and pushing back the brown bangs that are forever falling forward, just like her dad’s. “I can be that person now. You can stay here as long as you want, or you can go back home.”
“But w-what if,” she stutters, “what if my home is with you?”
I pull her in for a big hug. “Nothing would make me happier. We okay?” I ask softly.
Chloe smiles. “Yeah, we’re good.”
34
GO EASY ON ME BY ADELE
Jay
Whistling, I stroll into the building that housesJolieand greet Remi, who mans the front desk.
“You back, boss?” he asks with a grin.
“That I am,” I say, a lightness to my step.
This morning, I told Garreth that I’m stepping back from Hanson Liquors completely. I’d rather spend my time here, working with Cat, day in and day out.
This place is what brought us together all those years ago. The whiskey company is what tore us apart. I want no part of anything that reminds me of all the time we’ve lost.
Cat invited me over for dinner tonight. She said it would be easier for us to talk if we weren’t in a restaurant. I couldn’t agree more. Obviously, I’d like to do other things as well, but just fucking talking to her is enough for me. Being where we are now is more than I expected.
“Those for me?” Remi points to the yellow roses in my hand.
I choke out a laugh. “No, these are for my girl.”
He smiles as he waves me on. “She’s a lucky one.”
“Believe me,” I call over my shoulder, “I’m the lucky one.”
I probably look like a lunatic, standing near the back of the elevator, smelling the damn yellow roses in my hand. But I don’t care. I told her years ago that if she were a color, she’d be yellow. I made so many promises the day I slipped that necklace with the yellow diamond around her neck. Without a doubt, I’ll have to replace it. Knowing Cat, she probably tossed it when she thought I betrayed her. I chuckle as I imagine my feisty girl doing something rash. I’m going to have fun with that temper for the rest of my life.
