Firefox

“But if he finds you, don’t you dare let him charm you into getting back together,” Carla warned.

Chloe laughed bitterly. “I don’t find anything about Norman remotely charming.”

“Good. Because I don’t want my bloodline sullied with the likes of yours. He wouldn’t have spent the last decade in prison if you hadn’t made him chase you.”

Chloe flinched as if she was slapped with an invisible palm. “You know what your son did to me. I ran to protect myself. He tried to run me down with his car, for God’s sake.”

“Norman is a gentle soul. It’s you who turned him into what he is now. Stay away from my son.”

“Gladly! You don’t have to twist my arm for it.”

“Good!”

Chloe slammed the door and slammed her back against it. Sparrow wanted to teach that woman a lesson, but she was gone. The woman shouted a few things he couldn’t make out as she walked away.

“What are you doing?” Chloe asked.

“I was going to punish her for insulting you.”

“You’re not my guardian.”

“But I am.”

Chloe sighed, and Sparrow realized she was trembling. He pulled her into his arms. “I’m here for you, remember?”

Her arms wrapped around him, and her cheek rested against the front of his shoulder. “Yeah.”

“At least let me set her hair on fire?”

Chloe laughed, but it choked off in a sob. Sparrow touched her hair and cradled her against him, and let her cry as long as she wanted.

Chapter 9

That horrible bitch.

Chloe leaned against Sparrow, grateful that he wasn’t telling her to stop crying or urging her to calm down. He simply let her be, and that meant more than he realized.

It was bad enough that Carla Greyson had shown up at her door. Had she really come that many miles just to threaten Chloe to stay away from her son? Maybe she had another reason to travel, and Chloe had been had been a pit-stop.

Hell, maybe she would actually be able to get through to Norman and convince him to leave Chloe alone if she was that dead-set on making sure they stayed apart.

If Chloe thought Carla could actually manage it, she might have dropped to her knees and begged her to convince him to stay away. But acting as if Chloe wanted anything to do with him after all this time, that was beyond the pale. Chloe never wanted to see any of them again, least of all Norman.

I don’t want my bloodline sullied with the likes of yours.

Chloe clung to Sparrow tighter, rage starting to overtake her despair. Her father had been the gardener for the Greysons, and they’d seemed to like him well enough. After he died, they certainly hadn’t hesitated to offer her a home. Carla had been kind to her when she’d first moved in, though she was cool and aloof. They never got close. And it hadn’t taken very long before Chloe realized that the woman was jealous of the attention her son gave to Chloe.

Once she’d figured that out, she knew to be wary of Carla and not trust her for a second.

But when Chloe had lost the baby, Carla had merely patted her shoulder and said, “Perhaps it’s for the best, dear.” She’d never once asked Chloe how she was after, or checked on her to see if she was coping. She’d never brought up the baby again, despite how that was all Norman ever seemed to think about.

And now that Chloe thought about it, before her miscarriage Carla had never taken much of an interest in it. She’d had no sympathy for Carla’s horrible morning sickness, declaring that her pregnancy with Norman had been the happiest time of her life and she wasn’t nauseous for even a moment.

Chloe had felt almost like a failure at being pregnant when Carla talked about how easy her pregnancy was, how she glowed and had never felt healthier. It hadn’t occurred to Chloe at the time, but thinking back now—Carla had been gloating.

I don’t want my bloodline sullied with the likes of yours.

Her cold comfort after the miscarriage all those years ago took on a new edge. Chloe had thought she was merely disinterested at the time because she was so jealous of Norman. Now with her horrible crack about her bloodline, it seemed that maybe she’d been happ