Watching Glass Shatter Page 22

  Emma blushed and turned to Ethan for a life jacket.

  Ethan responded before she had to say anything. “No, she's not pregnant. At least I don't think she is. Are you, Emma?” Ethan had a devilish grin.

  While Emma's head shook out a no, her lips formed a Cheshire smile.

  “Exactly, I mean, she couldn't be pregnant before we got hitched, right?” Ethan raised her left hand above his shoulders to display her fingers to everyone.

  Emma blushed.

  Sarah, thrilled that the conversation had turned away from her pregnancy, noticed the ring on Emma's finger before anyone else. “Ethan, did you propose to her?”

  Olivia teared up, angry she could do nothing to fix Ethan's situation but resolved to hold her family together despite the impending loss.

  “Yes, Ethan asked me earlier in the week, and I've said yes.” Drops rolled from Emma's eyes. Everyone in the room thought she cried happy tears, but for Emma, they were not. After Ethan confessed at the restaurant he only had a few months to live, she knew at once she wanted to marry him and be with him until the end. She couldn't possibly leave him despite the circumstances and the fear of becoming such a young widow.

  Olivia walked over to Emma and held her close. “Congratulations. I'm so happy for you both.” For a moment, they smiled at one another, knowing they would need to support each other through the coming months. They were the two women closest to Ethan, both unready to handle the tragedy soon becoming the focus of everyone's lives.

  Olivia whispered in Emma's ears. “Don't say anything yet. I don't want to tell everyone about Ethan until I cover a few other items. I know it's hard, but please be strong for him.”

  Emma returned to her seat next to Ethan noticing Ethan's knees shaking against hers.

  Diane stood behind her and placed one hand on Emma's shoulder. “We need more women in this family. Let's put those boys in their place,” she chuckled.

  Emma smiled. Ethan kissed his fiancée and attempted to minimize the shuddering which had grown stronger in his right leg over the last few days. The doctors predicted each of these symptoms, but he refused to give into their demands.

  Zach interjected. “Look at the great news today. Dad would be so happy with our progress.”

  Olivia smiled at her son. “He would, but not everything is purely good news, Zachary. We have a few situations we need to talk about as a family before we can move on.” Olivia's face flushed red as she swallowed hard against the heat and pressure clinging to her neck and face.

  “As I explained, when I saw Theodore a few weeks ago, a change developed within him. Sarah's persistence shined a light on my foolish behavior.” Olivia glanced at her daughter-in-law. “Theodore has a few passions in his life he needs to explore. Passions that might conflict with assuming responsibility for the law practice. Passions I never knew of, or maybe I never chose to acknowledge.”

  Olivia faced her eldest son. “Theodore, it would have brought your father and me great pleasure for you to follow in his steps to become a prominent attorney and take over as a partner in the law practice he built over the last thirty years. You've been working incredibly hard to learn everything you needed to take his place. I don't ever recall asking what you wanted, and we should have asked you. We should be giving you the choice, not telling you what you had to do.”

  Teddy looked at Sarah sensing relief build around him and desiring everything to work out for once. He glanced back toward his mother. “I needed to hear you say it, Mom. I needed to know you could give me a choice to decide my future. I'm grateful for everything you and Dad have taught me over the years, but I don't want to become a partner. I don't want to assume responsibility for the practice, especially when I'm going to become a father soon. I am tired of exhaustion and fury filling my every day, grouchy with everyone around me because they've disappointed me. I need to shed this steel coating. I've decided to go back to school to focus my energy and my future on something different, something that gives me great pleasure.”

  Olivia nodded. “I want the best for you, Theodore. Accepting you will sell the legacy your father worked so hard to achieve hurts, but he dreamed of the firm, not you. It has given us many memories over the years, but now it's our turn to focus on our own destinies. I support you in the decision to sell the firm to the partners and follow your dream to be an artist.”

  Olivia recalled the day Ben came home full of unstoppable glee announcing the bank approved his request for a business loan to start his own firm. She let the memory fade so that she could move on, wistful thoughts still penetrating the surface as she carried forward.

  Olivia could tell Matt must have known what Teddy's decision meant. Matt would have to come clean about the money he'd borrowed, and he'd potentially lose his job once the other partners took over.

  Matt sighed. “But what about the work I've done for the firm?”

  Teddy glanced at his brother attempting to carefully articulate his next words, but his mother interrupted before he could begin.

  “Matthew, you've done a great job managing the firm's books for the last few years. In fact, you've been the rock holding together so many ties among this family. But it may be time for you to consider other options, too.” She paused, hoping he'd have the courage to talk about his problems, her mind forcing out the images of his daughter dangling from the crib.

  Matt sat back silently knowing his wife would have to assemble the pieces he had destroyed. He had no strength left in his body. Withdrawal symptoms had plagued his nerves with increasing pressure each day.

  Margaret leaned forward. “What's worrying you, Matt? Do you not want to leave the firm?”

  “I'm not sure.” Matt's brow released drops of sweat, a salty one landing on his upper lip. He hesitated. “I need time off. I may be under too much pressure.”

  “Pressure from what, Matthew?” Olivia hoped to get him to talk about his situation, so she didn't have to tell everyone. It was important he admit it on his own.

  “From everything. We don't have enough clients anymore at the firm. Dad pulled back to retire. Teddy had little interest in that piece of the business. I kept trying to find ways to balance out the finances, but it's a bit of a mess. We needed to let the new hires go. And we needed to focus on how to win more clients and new business. I can't do it all on my own.”

  Teddy finally found a chance to speak. “Matt, that wasn't your job. It would seem to me it's the partners' job to handle the administration. You should have told me. I could have tried to help.”

  “It's not just the firm. I got nervous at home, too.” He glanced in the opposite direction of his wife. “Margaret, I'm so sorry.”

  Margaret raised her brow and cocked her head to the side. “Matt, what's wrong? Talk to me.”

  “We don't have enough money to afford the renovations on the house. Or the new van. Or all the trips and extravagant spending we do for the kids. I lied about a hacker stealing our credit card information. The bank canceled the account because I haven't been able to pay off the balances.”

  Margaret reached for her husband's hand knowing she needed to be a good wife. “You should have told me. We can cut our expenses. I thought you did well at work.”

  “I do, but it's been a bad year. Our bonuses were half what they were the previous year. But that's not all.” He hung his head hoping her disappointment in his actions had disappeared in those moments.

  Olivia interrupted. “It's okay, Matthew. Let's talk about it. We'll be here for you.”

  “I took anti-anxiety pills to relax. It was working for a while, but I got too calm and missed deadlines at work. A friend of mine suggested I take a few of his prescription tablets to balance out. After a few weeks, I found myself relying on both and couldn't function unless I popped a couple of pills.”

  Ethan shook his head. “Matt, you should have talked to me. I could have found better ways to guide you through it. Taking tons of pills is not the way to solve the problem.”

  �
��I know, but I was scared. Everyone thinks I'm so perfect, and I always have my life under control. The pressure grew too quickly, and I didn't know how to handle it. I screwed up. The doctor wouldn't renew my prescription anymore because I asked for too many pills.” He paused and allowed himself a moment to finish his confession. “I logged online and met some kid off the internet to buy them.”

  Margaret cried. Diane, closest to her, comforted her with a gentle hug.

  “Matthew, you told me earlier in the week you needed a new start. Are you ready to address this problem?” Olivia couldn't mention the incident of Melinda falling out of the crib. It had been more than enough to push her son into talking about the financial situation and the anxiety issues in front of his family. She filled with certainty he'd commit to finding a solution. She also didn't want to scare his wife further, as the accident served as a timely wake-up call, especially since Melinda's fall didn't cause any damage.

  Margaret couldn't look or smile back at Matt. She was angry and hurt by his actions but knew the priority she had to face required a tenacity for climbing out of the ditch he'd dug around them.

  Matt interrupted when it looked like she was about to say something. “I can't do this on my own. Margaret, I'm so sorry. But I don't want to hide it anymore. I have a problem, and I need help to fix it.”

  Sarah joined the conversation eager to solve her brother-in-law's addiction. “It's good you're talking, Matt. So many people wait until it's too late and something dangerous happens. You have a new baby on the way. I reckon this is the perfect time to address the addiction, so you can get better and be ready to start over with a fresh mind.”

  Zach said, “Yeah, Matt. Lots of people face these types of issues. I didn't talk about this with anyone, but back when Anastasia was younger, Dad forced me to deal with an addiction to coke. I entered a rehab facility for a few weeks and was able to kick the habit with his support.”

  Matt cocked his head toward his brother. “You went to rehab? I knew you used drugs for a while, and you got help, but I didn't know how bad.”

  “Yeah, I was a mess, but I have been sober for several years. We hide too many secrets in this family. We need to trust each other.”

  Margaret rubbed her belly. “Matt, we'll fix this together. We'll find a professional for you to talk to and a way to stop this from getting any worse. I need you healthy. I can't do this alone.”

  Jake leaned toward Caleb and whispered, “And you thought the focus would be on your family finding out you were gay. Your family is chock full of issues lurking behind the surface, and that's not even considering our news. Better than daytime television!”

  “Shut your trap, babe, or we'll put you back on center stage.” Caleb hit his husband on the arm, the way a cat would bat a mouse, smirking the whole time. “Maybe I didn't know my family as well as I thought I did.”

  Zach stood, managing the beginnings of a witty smile. “I've heard just about all the news I can take for today. Cabbie confesses he's gay and adopting a baby. Sarah and Margaret are pregnant at the same time. Ethan's getting married. Matt has a problem with pain pills and keeping up at the family firm that Pickles secretly wants to sell so he can become a painter. No offense, Matt, I will teach you how to fight the demons.” Zach sighed, throwing his hands up in the air and glancing at his mother. “Maybe we can chill out for the rest of the day, have a few drinks and food, and celebrate our late father's seventieth birthday?”

  Everyone laughed in agreement and rose from their seated positions.

  Diane nodded at Olivia to acknowledge there was more to discuss, knowing her sister had not revealed everything at that point.

  Olivia closed her eyes and continued speaking, tapping one foot against the carpet in a slow and deliberate, circular pattern, hoping to retain her self-control. She pulled at the necklace to keep her agitated hands occupied. “Don't get up yet. I have two more items to discuss before we move on.”

  Sarah and Zach looked across the room at one another, both having the same thoughts that their secret was about to explode around them. Neither had enough control to stop it.

  “I'm proud of my sister for finding the courage to take charge of her life. I'm also thankful to her for showing me the courage to take charge of my life. Not only did she figure out I needed to spend time with each of you, real time where we communicated our feelings and opinions, but she also pointed out it was time I should choose my own path.” Olivia braced for the angst and shouting she'd expected would follow her bombshell. “It's time to sell the family home.”

  Diane gasped. “Liv, you didn't tell me you were gonna sell the house.”

  Everyone, shocked and concerned, immediately expressed doubts and objections.

  Olivia continued, despite their rising concerns. “I didn't tell anyone as I only decided early this morning. It's time I moved on, too. I've lived here with your father for most of our life together, and as much as I will miss being here, it's too big for one person. I need to find somewhere right for me.”

  She focused on Diane. “I'm taking us on a trip around the world, Diane. We're leaving in a few months to travel to all the places Ben and I had talked about visiting… to learn how to enjoy our lives and how to appreciate each day. But I cannot leave yet. Unfortunately, I have something else I need to do, something a mother should never be subjected to suffer through before my new life can begin.”

  Olivia stood, lifted her head, and found the courage to finish her thoughts. “The last item I need to tell everyone will bring even more heartbreak.”

  She moved toward the fireplace, stepping onto the slate tiles cemented before its hearth, her fingers twisting several of the translucent pearls that constricted her airflow as if they wanted to suffocate her. “Ethan has a brain tumor and only a few more months to live.”

  As she told her family the grave truth about Ethan, the pearls once secured around her throat ripped loose. One by one, they dropped to the slates below, each impact echoing with a sorrowful resonance throughout the room… as she spoke each word… as each tear rained from her eyes… as each blow stole her remaining strength. She could only hear the somber tones of the bagpipe's skirl she'd last heard at Ben's funeral.

  Ethan first noticed her falling to the ground, and he jumped up to catch his mother with rapid attention. Her hand caught his, and she dragged him to the floor with her. For a few moments, she sat with her son holding his body with a fierce and uncontrollable instinct, unable to let go. Her eyes sobbed, and her lungs burned. “No, please don't take my baby from me,” she cried.

  Ethan helped her to his chair, and Emma poured her soon-to-be mother-in-law a glass of brandy, which she drank in the hopes it would cure each pain that ailed her. Once the liquor summoned her hidden strength and fortitude, Olivia found a way to explain Ethan's condition to the rest of the family, including how he would be living at home with her and Emma until the end.

  As expected, heartbreaking emotions filled the home and the minds of the Glass family. None of the news they'd learned earlier in the day even held importance anymore, especially not when their youngest had such a brief amount of time left in his unceremoniously innocent life.

  Ethan wouldn't allow them to grieve for him. His confidence blossomed, certain he had several more weeks where he'd have all his faculties and capacities to live a regular life before the tumor eviscerated his withering body. He couldn't afford to let himself be a victim but instead insisted his brothers focus on spending quality time with him building positive memories and learning how to take advantage of any remaining moments in each of their lives.

  As the family meeting ended, Caleb and Jake took a drive to clear their minds and talk about everything that had happened. Once they'd processed Ethan's news, which was incredibly difficult for Caleb to accept given how much time he'd lost with his brother, they changed their focus to their own future, since they could now be open with Caleb's family. It was the first moment they had been alone since Caleb's family learned
about his relationship, marriage, and impending fatherhood.

  Margaret drove Matt back to their house to have a private conversation regarding how they'd planned to handle the next steps in procuring the solutions Matt needed to address his addiction. They were distraught over Ethan's news, but it was important they sought treatment for Matt, so he didn't end up in the same awful place. Margaret knew she had to take a lesson from her mother-in-law's playbook if they had any chance of survival.

  Diane knew Olivia had one final conversation she needed to have with two of her sons. She found Emma and Ethan standing on the front porch near the rose bushes and asked them to join her for tea in the kitchen to talk about their wedding plans. As hard as it was to consider the limited future they would share, everyone found comfort in Ethan having enough time left to marry his true love, celebrating and creating happy memories to keep with them for the future.

  Olivia told Zach, Teddy, and Sarah to stay behind in the study. When everyone else left, and they all sat near the fireplace, she spoke. “I've asked you to hold back because I have one other urgent item I need to cover with the three of you, but it should be handled more intimately.”

  Sarah, ravaged with fear at where the conversation went, interjected in the hopes she could stop the train from derailing. “Olivia, perhaps you and I could speak privately first?”

  “Sarah, hold your horses. Did I get that expression right, dear? I've heard your side of the story, but I've made up my mind.” Olivia was determined to address all the secrets, except for Ben's, as her family came first before she would allow herself to deal with Rowena.

  “You don't understand. It's important we must speak.” A fiery urgency accompanied Sarah's voice.

  “Sarah, what's wrong?” Teddy noticed the rumbling of an ache in his jaw, surprisingly relaxed for the last hour.

  Zach couldn't sit still. He knew what his mother was planning to do.

  Sarah tried pleading. “No, please, Olivia. The situation has changed.”

  But it was too late. Olivia had spoken at the same time while Teddy's attention focused on his mother's words. “Sarah and Zachary did something foolish. A creative way to achieve your needs.”