deal, forcing her to lie down. Sampson had stuck by her side like glue through it all, as if he felt her sadness and was trying to fill the void Justin had left behind. Her big, loving pooch helped, but nothing could fill that void.
“Knock, knock,” Reba said as she came through the door carrying a tray of food. She set the tray on the nightstand and sat beside Chloe on the bed. “You didn’t sleep a wink, did you?”
Chloe sat up and shook her head. Sampson scooched over, resting his head beside her. “I tried.”
She’d stayed up half the night with Reba, Serena, and Madigan. They had done most of the talking. Despite their efforts to sidetrack her with humor and other topics, Chloe had been too upset to say much. When they’d gone to bed, Chloe had been too restless to sleep and had gone down to Justin’s studio with her Wicked bodyguards in tow. She’d hoped being there might help her feel closer to him. But as she’d admired the pieces Justin was pouring his heart and soul into, she’d remembered all of the struggles and losses he’d overcome to get there, and that had driven the reality of their situation home—Justin could go to prison and lose everything he’d worked so hard for, including the upstanding reputation he’d earned. Blaine and Tank had been there to catch her when she’d collapsed to the studio floor in tears.
“Oh, sweetheart, you must be dead on your feet.” Reba stroked Sampson’s back and said, “But I understand. I didn’t get much more than a couple of hours’ sleep myself. I don’t think Mads did, either. She’s asleep on the couch with her head in Tank’s lap.” She patted Chloe’s hand and said, “You’ll feel better once Justin gets home.”
She hoped so. “Did Tank get any sleep?”
“No, but he’s used to it with the hours at the firehouse and, well, he’s not much of a sleeper anyway. He’s worried about you, honey. We all are.”
Chloe’s eyes filled with tears, and she turned away to wipe them.
“Come here, sweet girl.” Reba put her arms around her, and Chloe cried on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I’m not usually a crier.”
“Your world isn’t usually in chaos. You can cry, scream, punch a hole in the wall. Do whatever you need to do because holding it in will only make things worse.” She took Chloe’s face between her hands, the way Justin did, and said, “Listen to me, honey, because Justin is going to be here any minute and you need to hear this. Whatever you’re holding in, you need to let it out. You can do that with me, Justin, Serena, Tank, or Sampson. Just please, baby, you have to tell someone what’s going on in your head.”
“I can’t,” she said shakily. “I’m angry at everything, even Justin, and he doesn’t deserve it. He was just protecting me, but I can’t stop the anger, and I can’t tell him that. I’m embarrassed to admit it to you. It’s so wrong.”
Reba took both of Chloe’s hands in hers and said, “There is no right or wrong way to feel in situations like this. You can, and you must, tell him the truth. Your feelings matter, Chloe.” Reba paused at the sound of the front door opening.
The sound of Justin’s voice made Chloe’s heart race.
“I need you to promise me something, sweetheart,” Reba said quickly. “Promise me that you will not ever—ever—disregard your feelings for Justin or any other man, because if you don’t respect and honor them, no one else ever will.”
She couldn’t believe Reba was telling her to put her own feelings above Justin’s. “He’s your son. Why are you telling me this?”
“Because from what you’ve told me about your mother, she never did, and no matter how many times you tell yourself your feelings matter, sometimes you need to hear it from a mother. I love Justin, and I know he’ll do the right thing, but he can’t do that if you hide the truth. Can you promise me?”
“I promise,” she said, choking back more tears.
“Good, now listen, sweetheart. I’m going to ask you something, and you can be honest with me. There is no judgment here. Did all of this change your love for Justin?”
“What? No,” she said honestly. “It’s just a lot to deal with, and I’m so angry at everything, it’s confusing.”
A smile lifted Reba’s lips. “Love is much stronger than anger and confusion, sweetheart. Honesty and love can conquer