Write to Me by Nona Raines Read Free Book Online

that’s why she’s so skittish when it comes to commitment?”
    He barely recalled saying any of that last week. Amazing, how quickly the lies had rolled off his tongue. And now he was about to add to them. If there was a hell, he was going there for sure. “Her parents made no secret of how much they despised each other.”
    Gloria shook her head sadly. “That’s a shame. Adults think they can make each other miserable and their children won’t be affected. But kids pick up on that stuff so quickly.”
    “Little pitchers have big ears.”
    “Exactly.”
    “Only in this case my, uh, her parents didn’t even try to hide it. They pulled their child right into the middle of it. Mommy would take her aside, say Daddy’s ignoring us. Spending all his time with his work friends. He’d rather be with them than with us. Don’t you think that’s mean of him? Then it would be Daddy’s turn. Your mother’s sick again, huh? Can’t get out of bed? Let me tell you something. She’s not sick. She’s hung over. That stuff she’s always drinking is not grape juice, no matter what she tells you. ”
    “How awful.” Gloria’s voice was soft.
    He sighed wearily. “Yeah. And that’s not even the worst of it.”
    Her face looked like a mask, her features frozen in horror. “Did they get physical with each other? Or with Courtney?”
    “No. They prided themselves on being above that. Physical abuse was something for the lower classes, you see. That’s really how they thought. They didn’t mingle with the hoi polloi. No, they believed in psychological torture. They excelled at it and knew exactly how to hit where it would hurt the most. They didn’t care what kind of damage they inflicted. Or who got caught in the crossfire.”
    Strange he’d used the term crossfire, as though he were describing a war. Well, wasn’t it? In a battle between two parents, the children were the always the ones injured the most. Collateral damage. How could anyone claiming to be a loving parent do that to their own child?
    “It’s disgusting.” Gloria spat out the word as though it had a vile taste. “Parents should be protecting their children, not exposing them to poison like that. As far as I’m concerned, it’s child abuse.”
    He nodded. “Yes. I’m sure someone like you, who’s been a loving mother, can’t imagine doing that to her child.”
    “No,” Gloria murmured. She quickly shook her head. “Oh, I wasn’t perfect by any means. I remember how guilty I used to feel after my husband died, when I had to work and I couldn’t be there when my daughter got home from school. I’m lucky my mother-in-law could be there.”
    “Your husband’s mother.”
    “Yes. She was a godsend after we lost Emilio. My parents, too, and my brother. He became a second father to my Desi. But my mom and dad worked full time, and my brother was starting out in his career. Rosa took care of Desi every day after school while I was working and taking courses.”
    “Sounds like she really came through for you.”
    “Oh, absolutely. I’d come home dead tired, and the house would be clean, the dinner made…she’d even surprise Desi and me with a treat. Flan, our favorite dessert. She was a tiny little thing, five foot nothing, but she was one strong lady. Desi called her Abuelita. ‘Little grandma.’ The two of them really bonded. And I don’t know what I would have done without her.”
    Her voice trailed off and she shivered. Bryan noticed goose bumps on her bare arms. The heavy rainfall had subsided as quickly as it began, but the air was chilly.
    Bryan slipped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close. “You’re cold.” There was nothing sexual in his intent. He’d only meant to sympathize and share his warmth, but as soon as she settled against him, he felt superheated.
    She leaned into him for a few moments, then pulled back as though guessing what her proximity did to him. “I’m fine, really.”
    “My apartment’s not