Gold (All that Glitters #2)(122)

“Lawrence?” Olivia asked, surprised.

“I don’t want her to grow up without a mother, Olivia.”

“And…your wife?” she asked.

“Celia is not her mother,” he said flatly. “She’s her stepmother.”

“I see.”

“I want to have a relationship with you, Mom. It comes down to whether or not you want to have one with me,” Bryna told her.

Olivia sighed heavily and let a hesitant smile come to her face. “Of course I want to have a relationship with you.”

Bryna took a deep breath. This was the tricky part. “I love you, Mom, but I hate to see you hurting yourself. I’ve been let down a lot, and I want to move forward with my life. I don’t know if I can do that with your…lifestyle.”

Olivia colored and looked away. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do. You’re a great actress, but you can’t hide drugs from people who have lived in your house for most of their lives.”

Her father frowned and looked away. Bryna hoped he realized his part in all of this. He had never stopped her mother. Maybe he wouldn’t have been able to, but he hadn’t tried either.

“I’m not judging you. You can live your life however you want. I’ve made mistakes, but I don’t want your mistakes, too. I want a mom,” she whispered.

“I’ve been getting help,” Olivia whispered. Their eyes met. “I had a bad accident a couple of months ago, and I’ve been trying to be better, for me and for you, even though I didn’t think you wanted me in your life.”

“I’ve always wanted you in my life. I just want someone who isn’t self-destructive. I was self-destructive enough for the both of us.”

Her mother wiped a tear from under her eye. “I can’t promise it will be better today or tomorrow or next week. I’ve been battling this for years, but I took the first step. I’m going to therapy and drug and alcohol counseling. I’m trying.”

Bryna broke out into a smile. “That’s what I want. I want us to be a family again…even if our family is different.”

Olivia rushed across the room and wrapped her daughter in a hug. “I’m so sorry for everything, Bryna. The absence was my fault. I want to be better. I will be better.”

“I know. Me, too, Mom.”

Olivia cried into Bryna’s hair, and they both held each other like that for a while.

Then, her mom pulled back and wiped her tears. “We’ll make this work,” she promised.

Bryna looked to her dad, and he put a protective arm around her.

This was her family—a broken dad, a broken mom, a new stepmother, a jerk stepbrother, withdrawn twin stepsisters, and a brand-new baby halfsister. It wasn’t perfect, far from it, but it was hers.

“We all will.”

When Bryna got back to her house, her father had to rush off to work. He was a busy man, even two days before Christmas. Luckily, Eric was waiting for her when she arrived.

“Hey,” he said. His whole face brightened when he saw her. “How did it go?”

“Bad.”

He frowned. “I’m sorry.”

She laughed. “Just kidding. It went great.”

“Geez. Fucking freak me out!”

“You’re too easy.” She giggled. “I mean, not everything was fixed today. But it will work itself out. I’m a persistent bitch.”

“I have no doubt it will work out.”

“Me, too.” She smiled up at him and drew him in for a kiss. “I hate that you have to leave today,” she groaned.

“I know. How can I leave?”

“I have an idea. Don’t. Just stay here. Have Christmas with me.”

He rubbed his nose against hers. “You know I would love to do that, but my parents miss me, too. Have to spend some time with them.”

“Maybe…I could meet them someday.”

He smiled. “You will definitely have to meet them. They will love you.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Good.”

“I’m glad that you’re going to have a real Christmas with your family though. Last year, you told me you hated Christmas, and I don’t want that to be the case anymore. New memories to replace the old.”

She slid her fingers around his waist and held him close. “Memories with you.”

“For many years to come,” he said, punctuating the sentence with a kiss. “I do have a Christmas gift for you though.”

“You do?” she asked with excitement. “I didn’t know you were getting me anything!”

“Gifts are a trigger for you, so I didn’t want to raise your expectations of me,” he joked.

“You’re crazy. I already have high expectations for you.”

“In that case, I’m screwed.”

“I’m sure I’ll love it. What is it?” she asked. She looked at his hands and then down at his pockets. All seemed to be empty.

“Come on. I’ll show you.”

She was intrigued. She had never gotten a present from Eric. She understood where he would be worried though. After a house, jewelry, a key to a penthouse suite, and lots of clothes, it would be pretty intimidating to pick out a present for her. Not that she needed anything. She was happy with Eric. That was what mattered.