Coming Full Circle Liz Andrews

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again. He noticed the lines around her eyes and mouth. The
tension she was under was more than obvious.
"Fine, I'll listen to what she has to say. But if she starts to
insult anyone—"
"I'll throw her out of the apartment myself," Jasmine lied.
His kindhearted woman would do no such thing, but her
ability to see the good in everyone was one of those adorable
qualities he wouldn't ever change, even if he could.
Knowing it was probably a mistake, Alex opened the door
and exited the car. His mother took a step forward, her purse
clutched in her hand, her face full of anguish.
"I was hoping we could talk."
Alex nodded, unable to trust his voice at the moment.
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Coming Full Circle
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Jasmine's inability to be discourteous kicked in. "Hello,
Mrs. Landry. If you would like, you can speak in my
apartment."
"Thank you very much."
"How's your family doing?" Jasmine asked, as the four of
them walked toward the apartment.
His mother proceeded to tell Jasmine about his sister and
her husband's recent vacation to Mexico. The forced
politeness disturbed him. He had agreed to listen to his
mother, nothing more. Alex wanted it over with sooner rather
than later. When Jasmine unlocked the door, he had to force
himself to hold back and allow the women to enter the
apartment first when he really wanted to stride inside and
take out his anger by throwing something.
Before he crossed the threshold Chase grabbed his arm.
"Be open minded, for all of us."
Alex shot Chase an incredulous stare. His lover was the
one who'd always advised him not to visit his parents. Now
Chase is encouraging contact? It seemed like a contradiction.
When he opened his mouth to ask him why the change of
heart, Chase only shook his head and walked into the
apartment, leaving Alex to trail after him.
"I think you two should speak alone," Jasmine said. Taking
Chase's hand, she took the other man into the bedroom and
shut the door. His mother's face looked as shocked as he felt.
It was as if both of them were hoping for the buffers of Chase
and Jasmine. And they were both going to be disappointed.
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Alex sat in one of the chairs, idly drumming his fingers on
the arm. His mother took a seat on the couch, but didn't
speak. Finally he asked, "What did you want to talk about?"
"I'm sorry your visit ended badly."
Ended badly. Is that how she seriously was going to
describe his father's inane homophobic suggestions? "You can
blame your husband for yesterday's fiasco."
Her lips thinned. "He's your father. Don't be disrespectful."
Alex shook his head. "Mom, I was respectful for years,
when you both refused to accept who I am, and the fact
Chase is the man I love. But I kept trying to keep the contact
alive. Which was the reason I came to see you both
yesterday. I wanted to tell you about Jasmine being in our
lives."
"And I'm glad you did. But, Alex, when you drop a bomb
on someone you need to give them time to adjust."
"Pop had enough time to be able to insult me."
"He ... you have to understand how he was raised."
Alex shook his head. "Make all the excuses for him you
want, Mom, it doesn't change the fact he hates me and
everything about my life, and he's never going to change."
"He doesn't hate you. He loves you. You're his son."
"Actually, Mom, you better check with him, because after
yesterday I think he's officially disowned me."
His mother shifted her gaze from his and Alex knew his
father most likely said something close to that effect. And it
didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. At this point he
had finally accepted the fact his father was an asshole. Alex
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would never be able to gain the man's approval and he was
tired of trying.
He'd always put his mom in the same category as his dad,
considering them as one unit. But his mom's arrival here
suddenly put a new spin on things. Alex's initial anger at her
had faded somewhat and now he was feeling a little guilty.
She hadn't understood why he and Chase were together, but
she never insulted them, either.
He took his mother's hands in his and she turned back
toward him, despair written on every feature. Alex never
wanted to be the reason she was in pain. "Mom, me and Pop,
it's a lost cause. Don't drive yourself crazy over it."
"I wish..."
So did he, but wishing wasn't going to solve anything. And
neither would his mother stressing herself out. It was what it
was, and the sooner they both realized it, the better. "Don't
worry about it, Mom."
"I have to worry about it. You're my son."
"That's not going to change because I don't go over there
anymore."
"But I don't want you to isolate yourself from your family."
Alex let go of her hand. "Sometimes we don't get what we
want."
"And sometimes we do." Doris sat up straighter. "The next
time you come to town, I want you to stop by and see me."
"But Pop won't like it."
"As you said, we don't always get what we want."
"And Chase and Jasmine? Are they invited too, because I
won't come if they're not." If it sounded as if he was drawing
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a line in the sand, it was because he was. Alex was no longer
willing to live half a life.
"Of course they are. It'll be nice to catch up with them."
His eyes widened, caught off guard by her sudden
acceptance. "What brought this change about?"
"I realized something important when you left yesterday."
"What's that?"
"It's better to gain a son than to lose one. Uhh ... and I
guess I'm getting another daughter too."
"Hopefully."
She cocked an eyebrow. "Is there a doubt?"
"It's early yet in our relationship." He and Chase needed to
talk to Jasmine and put all their feelings on the line. Until [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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