mother’s neck. It was something.
Chloe stepped forward and sat on the bench beside her mother. “I’m sorry for that. I’m so sorry this all happened, but it did. Samantha’s gone.” Her mother’s body shuddered and Chloe placed her hand over her mother’s where it rested on her thigh. “I can’t do this anymore, though, this running around, mending holes in this family, because no matter how hard I try, I’m not the one who can fix it.”
Her mother finally turned her head. Pale eyes watery. “I know you’ve been trying, Chloe.”
“You do?” Resentment bubbled up, but she forced it down. “And you let me scramble and stress and worry?”
Her mother shook her head, blinking rapidly now. “I thought that’s what you wanted, that it gave you a purpose—”
“Sure it gave me a purpose, but it was also slowly chipping away at me. And it took a hell of a lot for me to realize that if I didn’t stop taking on this responsibility, that’d it would kill me.”
Her mother turned then, her eyes wide I alarm. “I had no idea it was like that for you.”
“Well now you know. And unless you want to lose me, too, I’m done. I’m done trying to fix you and Dad and Ethan. I can’t control that. I can control me, though, and I’m taking back that control so I can finally be happy.”
“I want you to be happy, I…” Her mother seemed at a loss for words.
“This is why I avoided saying all this to you, and to Ethan. Because the last thing I wanted to do was add more guilt and more sadness and more emotion, but I can’t do it anymore, Mom.”
Her mother embraced her. “I’m sorry.”
Chloe closed her eyes and hugged back. “I am, too.” She pulled back. “So you and Ethan…I’m stepping away from it. I love you and Dad. I love Ethan. I can love you separately.”
Her mother’s lip shifted. “It’s complicated. I…don’t know what we’re able to do. The pain is too much still.”
Chloe knew all about pain. “I know, Mom. I know.” Her parents weren’t going to repair their relationship with Ethan for her. They had to do it because they wanted to. So Chloe was done trying to mend holes with thin threads that broke every time she tied them.
When she left her parents’ house that evening, she was still in mourning, but at least she was doing something. Chloe mourned her sister, she mourned the death of the family she once had. Samantha’s death had ripple effects Chloe wasn’t sure anyone was prepared for. And now Chloe realized she had to let go. Release her fingers where she’d been white-knuckling her hold on the family she had before, the family she’d never get back. And she had to fall.
She hoped she landed on her feet. And she hoped Grant was there at the bottom like he said he’d be.
Time to find out.
Chapter Fourteen
Grant leaned back against the pillows on the hotel bed that night and flicked through the channels. The remote wasn’t working well; the batteries were probably dying. He smacked it a couple of times on his palm. He stretched his arm over his head and crossed his legs. He’d changed into a pair of sweatpants and nothing else, determined to lay on this bed and do absolutely nothing until he fell asleep.
There wasn’t much on TV—movies he’d seen a dozen times, a baseball game he didn’t care about. If he hadn’t just hung up the phone with Sydney, he’d call her again. Except that was pretty lame. She was in the middle of movie night with Ethan, so she didn’t need her bored dad cramping her style.
He knew now that it was the right decision to go after Chloe today. The look on her face when she’d seen him… He wished he’d had a camera. And now, he’d give her time. She hadn’t pushed him away, she’d given him hope. So he’d head home tomorrow, and hopefully Chloe would show up. Hopefully.
There was a knock on his hotel room door. He frowned and then climbed off the bed to pad toward the door. He didn’t remember ordering anything. He had plenty of towels.
He opened the door a crack and peered out into the hallway.
His heart soared quickly and then plummeted just as fast.
Sari stood in the hallway. She wore the same lace-up boots. That same skirt with the slit up the thigh. That same corset that made her breasts look fantastic. Her