A Love Like Ours

Chapter 26

"You seriously want me to tell you what I think?" Gemma asked.

"You mean you don't want me to know?" I released a bitter laugh. "You've been huffing about here the past two days, practically begging for me to ask your opinion. Here's your chance, Gem. Spit it out."

"Okay," Gemma said, a fire in her eyes that wasn't usually directed at me. "Here goes then... I'm starting to think you've lost your mind."

Up until now, it had been a calm day. Two days after Christmas, after the hectic buzz of the holidays and the crash that always tended to follow, we were all readying to dive back into our usual schedules—or in my case, readying to see Madelyn again.

We were still at Mum's house, as we had been for the past week, and I was heading back to London tomorrow to catch a red-eye to New York tomorrow night. It had been several weeks since the last time I had seen my girl, and I was more than ready to make up for the time lost.

But I never thought I'd have to deal with this, especially coming from my family, and especially now, after they'd already had every opportunity to say something to me about it. It wasn't like I'd kept it all a secret from Mum, and I knew she'd told Gemma everything, so why this was an issue now, the day before it was supposed to happen, was beyond my comprehension.

It had started slowly at first, with little hints as to her disapproval. I'd noticed that every time my trip to New York was mentioned, Gemma would make a sound of annoyance, or roll her eyes, or stab at the food on her plate. But I ignored it for the most part. We'd had extended family around for the past week and I wasn't looking to get into an argument with her, but especially not in front of them.

Tonight, however, with just the four of us and her boyfriend Michael in the house, I'd had enough of her passive aggression.

"Gemma," Mum scolded from her place on the love seat beside Robin.

"I... think I'll just—" Michael stood, pointed to the door leading into the hallway, and headed out without another word, clearly not eager to get involved in our heated discussion.

Robin looked like he wanted to leave as well, but as he was a more direct part of the family, and because Mum was clutching his hand in a death grip, he stayed put.

"No," I said to Mum from my seat in the armchair. I leaned forward, planted my elbows on my knees and laced my fingers together. "Let her go on."

Gemma was sitting with her back perfectly straight on a couch across the room, and took a deep breath when I met her eye again, the fire still flickering in her gaze. "I just don't understand why the hell you'd want to see her again, let alone be with her again after all she's done to you. She clearly doesn't deserve you, Harry, and she's using your emotions against you."

Wrong. She was so wrong it was painful.

I nodded once when she didn't go on, staring at her wide-eyed. "Is there more?"

"As a matter of fact, there is," Gemma said, sticking her chin up a bit. "I know you can't see it, but you're being manipulated, Harry. And I'm sorry for all that she went through, I really am, but that's no excuse. She should have had the bollocks to break it off with you before she got engaged, and how you can so easily forgive that is beyond me."

"Are you actually saying that her mistakes don't deserve to be forgiven?" I asked, incredulous to think she was saying that our mother's lessons all our lives didn't apply here.

"I'm saying they shouldn't be forgotten," Gem fired back.

"Who says they have been?!" I exclaimed.