He must if he was willing to go through therapy. She gave him a hug. “I love you, Sean. I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time about Meghan.”
He drew back, a smirk lifting one side of his mouth. “Sorry I gave you such a hard time about Liam. My therapist says I’ve been projecting my emotions about our father onto you. That wasn’t fair.”
“Wow, that’s deep. And hey, turns out you were right about Liam after all.”
His lips went flat as his eyes bored into hers. “And I’m really sorry about that too, Sis. You deserve better.”
“Thanks.”
Her gaze drifted to the door where Meghan reappeared wearing a sheepish expression. “Is it safe to come out?”
Chloe extended her arms. “Come here. I promise I’m done butting in.”
Meghan took the steps and slid into Chloe’s embrace. “Thanks for not hating me. I tried to stay away...”
Chloe snorted. “It’s okay. You guys have my blessing—not that you need it.” She pulled back to see happy tears in her friend’s eyes. Who knew her brother would be the one to make Meghan happy again? “I think I’ll take off and let you two get on with your evening.”
Sean’s eyes twinkled in the night. “I won’t argue about that.”
“Eew, stop.” She sent Meghan a little wave and a smile, then gave Sean a pointed look. “Be careful with her heart.”
Sean turned to Meghan. “You should probably tellherthat since I’m already a goner.”
Somehow, despite the fact that she’d just been outed by the media, Chloe was smiling as she got in her car and drove away.
Chapter39
Tuesday morning Liam received a text that rearranged the rest of his day.
He’d planned to meet a few friends for lunch and attend another friend’s premiere tonight. But maybe it was best to avoid the public eye right now. Unsurprisingly, his fans felt betrayed by his deception. He could only blame himself. He could justify it all he wanted, but faking a relationship with Chloe had been dishonest.
He and Spencer had decided to take a wait-and-see approach. Likely another story would come along soon and hopefully people would forget what he’d done.
How was Chloe faring? Maybe the news hadn’t hit Stillwater Bay quite the same way. Who was he kidding? It would’ve traveled through the small town in record time. But she had a loving family and good friends. She was well liked and admired by all. Of course, that might’ve changed now that she’d attempted to deceive them. He hoped not.
He was answering questions for an online interview withSpotlightmagazine when his mother’s text came in.Hi son. I guess your dad changed his number. I need the new one, please. Have you heard from him? Also, the money you sent last month is already gone. I’ve had some unexpected expenses. Big ones. I should’ve written earlier but I was hoping to get by. Three thousand would go a long way toward helping me out of debt. Thank you, honey. It means so much to me.
As usual, she hadn’t asked how he was doing. Wasn’t aware he faced a scandal that might permanently cripple his career. And if he told her, she would care mostly because he was her primary source of income. She also seemed unaware that her ex-husband had likely changed his number to avoid her calls. And Liam suspected the unexpected expenses involved cases of liquor.
He remembered what Chloe had said when he confided in her about his mom. She was right. It wasn’t healthy for his mom to rely on him financially or to sit around drinking all the time. He had to face facts. He’d only been enabling her. She needed real help even if she couldn’t see it.
Controlling the purse strings gave him leverage, and it was high time he used it. He closed the document he’d been working on and opened his browser. An hour later he was on his way to Riverside.
Beverly Hamilton lived in a two-story Mediterranean-style home in one of Riverside’s nicest neighborhoods. Mom had sold his childhood home soon after Liam’s career took off. She hadn’t been able to afford the giant step up to this gated community, but Liam had been happy to subsidize the move. Back then it had felt rewarding to provide something nice for his mother, even if the home was far too large for her. He hadn’t realized he was creating a monster.
He turned into the drive, pulling close to the beige stucco house with its terra-cotta roof. It had taken almost three hours to get here thanks to the traffic on 91. He’d had plenty of time to work out what he’d say. But times like this he wished he had a sibling or two with whom he could share the burden. Like Chloe. She and Sean might not always see eye to eye, but they were close and they loved each other. They had each other’s backs.
He pushed the thought aside. He had enough to deal with at themoment without remembering how empty his days were without Chloe or how lonely his life sometimes felt.
He took the porch steps and rang the doorbell. After the second ring his mom answered. She wore a red jogging outfit that complemented her dyed-black hair. Even in full makeup she appeared at least ten years older than she was. Hard living and heartbreak had taken their toll.
“Liam!” She embraced him. “Honey, what a nice surprise. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
Phoebe, her Yorkshire terrier, yapped at their feet.
“I wanted to surprise you.” He wrapped his arms around her, catching a whiff of whiskey on her breath. It was barely midafternoon.
“Well, mission accomplished.” Her words weren’t slurred yet, so maybe she’d have enough cognitive skills for the conversation they were about to have. “Come in, come in.”
