Treasure [h.s]

| 42 - Colette |

"Mom?" I gape at the aged woman in front of me.

Ah, fuck.

Is this a dream? A bad trip? Hell?

I slam the door shut without giving myself any more time to think about it.

"Brinna?" Harry steps forward but I can't move my shaking body from the door. My hand feels like it's been welded to the handle, forcing the beast behind it to stay in her place. Like if I take my hands away from the barrier, she'll come back.

She came back.

All of the memories are coming back with her.

"Brinna baby, who is that?" His footsteps stop directly behind me as the warmth of his hand engulfs mine. "Come here, talk to me." He peels me away from the only piece between me and my mom.

My very alive, very beat up... mom.

"That's uh... that's Colette." I gaze up at him, waiting for the anger to spew from his lips but it doesn't. It never does. The longer we stand in the dim hallway, his dark eyes piercing into me, his features only morph into something close to remorse. A remorse he shouldn't be feeling, as if he knows what this means.

Not that I lied to him, not that she found us, but that she's back and I have to suffer because of it. He's not mad at my lie, he's sad that it wasn't true.

He nods and rubs my shoulders soothingly. Great, this is just fucking great.

"What uh... what do you want to do with her, sweetheart?" he asks in a firm tone.

I don't know. Personally, I'd like for her to crawl back to whatever hole she came out of and never look at me the way she just did, ever again. I'd like for her to go back in time and be the mother I needed. I'd like to melt into a puddle on the floor and die.

Die, because deep down, I miss the woman who's standing on my doorstep. Not the broken, dirty shell of her. I miss her.

I miss her and she's here.

And for some reason, the fact that I miss her more than I hate her makes me feel guilty. "I don't know," I answer honestly. "I don't–I don't want her here." Not in my new life. Colette Harper has no place here. She doesn't have a place with Brinna Styles.

Her place is with Brinna Harper, a decade ago, when she made her decisions. It was so easy for her to forget me. So easy to kick me to the side like a wounded puppy. Why is it so hard to do the same?

"I can get her a hotel room if you want?" he suggests, searching deeper into my eyes. "Or you could talk to her here."

My lip wobbles as another wave of guilt overpowers my anger. "You don't have to do anything for her, for me."

He blows out a long sigh and brings me to his chest. "This is just as much your house as it is mine. I'm not doing anything for anyone. Just giving you options." He kisses the top of my head. "You don't have to feel guilty for whatever your heart is doing right now. No one here is going to judge you."