Watching Glass Shatter Read online

  “Exactly. It's time more women took charge of the Glass family.” Margaret giggled as she squeezed her husband's shoulder.

  Matt told his mother he'd completed his onsite treatment at the rehabilitation facility and learned to appreciate spending more quality time with his daughters. He volunteered as class dad once Melanie had started school at the Madison Academy, especially after Margaret had started spending more time with the charity organizations that Olivia had transitioned to her.

  “We're all going to visit Caleb and Jake later in the month while you're away, Mom. Thanksgiving will be in Maine this year. Will you make it?”

  Olivia laughed and told them she hadn't decided where she would be for the holidays this year, needing some time to herself for a change. She disconnected with Matt and Margaret, calling Caleb just as he'd put the baby down for a nap.

  “Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year?” Olivia said.

  “Yes. Jake's decided he's doing all the cooking. He's turned into Mr. Mom.”

  “I believe it. He's a good man, honey. I can see how much you guys love each other.”

  “Thank you, Mom. I'm sorry we didn't talk sooner about everything. I guess I wasn't ready to tell everyone until now.”

  Olivia closed her eyes as she sat behind the desk in Ben's study. “Don't apologize. Everything happens for a reason. A lot has changed in the last few months, but your father would be proud of where we ended up.”

  “As would Ethan.”

  Olivia reflected on the day Caleb and Jake brought their new son to Brandywine to visit with the whole family as Ethan neared his final days. When Ethan had a few lucid hours, Caleb took advantage of the opportunity to put a smile on his brother's face. He placed his newborn son in his brother's arms while Olivia watched as her grandson fell asleep with one tiny hand holding onto the tube that delivered breaths of air to his uncle. Ethan joked he might die from lack of oxygen due to his nephew's steel grip before the brain tumor finally killed him.

  “Yes, he would be proud, too. Are you sure you don't want to consider moving back to Brandywine? Jake might love it here, too.”

  Caleb laughed and quickly squelched her suggestion. He was determined to spend more time with his family, but he and Jake had been content with their home nestled in the mountains on the Maine coastline where they could raise their family in a way they had chosen.

  After they hung up, Olivia left Ben's study and wandered to the attic bedroom to say goodbye to Zach. When she arrived, she entered a twilight zone. He'd cleaned the room and threw away most of the junk he'd formerly left around having previously told her the clutter helped him more clearly focus on his musical inspiration.

  “Mom, I've matured this summer. I'm not going to turn into some stick-in-the-mud like Pickles or Matt, or maybe a version of who you used to be, but I'm making positive changes.” He winced as she pinched his ear in response to his sarcasm.

  Olivia was delighted over everything he'd accomplished lately and had grown excited he would be living back home so Anastasia could be around her family. Olivia studied her son's tattoos and asked him for the first time what they meant.

  Zach rolled one sleeve and explained the history of the vine growing up his one arm. He pointed to the dice and the playing cards on his other arm. “I got those when Anastasia was born because it'd be a gamble on whether I'd be a good parent or not.”

  Olivia smiled. “You won big on that one.”

  “Yeah, maybe I did. How could it be any different with you and Dad as role models?”

  Anastasia bounded up the stairs grasping a shiny object in her hands as if she'd found a lucky charm. When she got close enough, Olivia recognized it as a picture frame as her granddaughter turned it around. It was a photo of Ben.

  “It's Grandpa. He's watching over us now.”

  Zach looked at his mother, and they both shook their heads in laughter. “Yes, baby girl, maybe he is watching over us.”

  With a final goodbye to almost all her sons completed, Olivia stepped out the front door and took a seat in the car next to her sister. As Victor pulled away from the curb for the last time, Olivia glanced out the window at the home she'd lived in for forty years considering everything she'd been through while living in the house, both the good and bad memories.

  Victor took them first through Willoughby Park providing Olivia with one last moment in her favorite respite. He then drove to the cemetery stopping at Ethan's grave to say a final goodbye before Olivia left Brandywine. Diane stayed behind in the car to let her sister have a few moments alone with her son.

  Olivia walked to the grave. The early stages of a flowering heather bush grew in front of the headstone. She hoped if Rowena had visited Ethan's grave, it lent her the comfort over choosing not to tell him she was his mother.

  Olivia missed Ethan since he'd passed away the prior month, more than she thought possible. She'd expected the same pain and loss she experienced when Ben died, but not the remorse of knowing she'd outlived a son. In the last few days of his life, the brain tumor took away most of his abilities to move or speak. He spent the last hours in bed sleeping with only a few moments of clarity, where he did his best to comfort his family before leaving them behind. Watching her child die had been the most difficult thing Olivia experienced in her life, especially knowing she'd held the secret from her child even in his death. Knowing she was with her son in the end and hearing his last words, she'd finally been able to accept his fate. On the morning he passed away, in the last few hours of his life, he looked at her and said, “It's gonna be okay, Mom. You gave me the best life a son would want. I couldn't have asked for a better mother.”

  As she stood at the grave running her fingers through the heather, enjoying the tickling sensation it delivered with each breeze, Olivia whispered a goodbye to the son who'd been the most unexpected gift she'd ever received in her life. The gift who taught her how to forgive and let go of the past, enabling her to find a heart ready for the future.

  Olivia walked a few rows to Ben's grave remembering the man who'd been her partner for over forty years, the husband who took her to the opera every new season, and the father who raised five amazing sons with her. She stood in silence appreciating the wind's gentle whisper on her face. Drops of pure white snow cascaded across her husband's grave as she smelled the cold of winter settle in. When she settled on the grave, she noticed the newly engraved memorial sitting next to her husband's headstone, filling with instant relief and comfort.

  In memory of the loved ones we lost, may they rest in peace. Mom and Dad.

  Saying goodbye to her husband and son within months of each other had nearly killed Olivia, but she refused to fade away into the background. She'd put her family back on their own paths, exuding confidence in her decisions, and it was time for her to walk her own road. The journey she'd been on for most of her life hadn't ended when Ben and Ethan died. It opened up new directions where she could consciously choose to put the pain and the fears in the past and to embrace whatever destiny danced before her.

  Deep within Olivia's soul, she knew it was time to leave. With one last glance at his grave, she rested shaky fingers atop his headstone. “I'm taking this trip for the both of us, Ben. You will always be in my heart. You were a good husband, and I can now say I understand what you did for me.”

  Olivia lingered a moment to let the falling snow land on her face enjoying the refreshing sensation as each flake melted on her skin, recalling a childhood where she similarly embarked on the prospect of a new life. She grasped the cold metal handle, opened the car's passenger door, and slid onto the leather seat next to her sister, who sat waiting in the vehicle's cozy warmth.

  “I hope it gave you comfort with them today. Were you able to say everything you wanted to say, Liv?”

  “I believe so.” Olivia nodded at her sister. “Did you add the new stone to the grave?”

  Diane smiled at her sister. “Yes. Just a brief message so you'll always have a reminder of both your
sons. You needed to say goodbye not only to Ben and Ethan but to the child you lost, whom no one else will ever remember.”

  “It was Ethan. Ethan was the baby Ben switched.”

  The car remained silent for a few minutes, as they each thought of the secret haunting Ben when he died.

  “I suspected it was him but didn't wanna ask,” Diane said. “I knew you'd tell me when you were ready.”

  “When I met Rowena and learned which son was hers, I found peace and understood what Ben chose to do. I needed a little more time to accept his death and to find a way to say goodbye to him.”

  “Let's not say goodbye. We'll be back before the new grandkids are born. Ethan will live on in your first grandson.”

  “Yes, it's come full circle. My son, Ethan, was adopted. Caleb's adopted son's name is Ethan. I'm sure we'll be back to visit them, but right now, it's time to take control of our future and focus on our own lives.”

  “You're stronger than I thought.” Diane reached into a large canvas bag on the floor of the car.

  “I am stronger because of everything that's happened the last few months and because of you. You've protected me all my life, even though I'm supposed to be the older sister.”

  Diane handed a ten by twelve box wrapped in white tissue paper to her sister. “From Ethan. He asked me to give it to you when you were ready.”

  “And why do you think I am now?”

  “Let's call it a sister's intuition and leave it at that.” She smiled and winked at her sister.

  Olivia slipped off the tissue paper as if it were the blanket she'd brought Ethan home in from the hospital and lifted the top of the wooden box with a delicate balance. Its weight comforted her. As she handed the lid to Diane, Olivia removed the gift from the box and opened the cover. On the first page read the words The Glass Family, and as she flipped through the remaining pages, pictures of Ben and Olivia, their parents, Diane, and all the sons and their families flooded Olivia's eyes. Ethan had collected hundreds of photos of the Glass family over the years assembling a picture book as a keepsake for his mother.

  Olivia ingested each memory recalling the family camping trip to Yellowstone, the black and white Christmas photos, Grandma Eleanor's eightieth birthday party, the game board Grandpa William carved with his own hands, and Ethan and Emma's wedding where the entire family took their final portrait. And in it, Olivia held a framed photo of Ben from their wedding day so that he could be part of the permanent memory. Sewn into the last few pages of the album were parchment scrolls that displayed a beautiful calligraphy, the Glass Family Tree—Ethan's passion serving as a tribute to the family he had loved his whole life. He even had time to add Jake and Emma, and his own namesake, his new nephew, Ethan.

  As Olivia thumbed through each page, Diane's eyes watered, and this time, she was the sister who couldn't retain her composure in the car leaving the cemetery.

  Olivia reached for Diane's hand and consoled her younger sister. “For the first time in a long time, I have my family back and no matter what fate throws at us, we will handle it together. But it's our turn now.”

  “Are you ready?” Diane brushed tears away from her eyes.

  Olivia nodded and caught her driver's attention.

  “Italy's La Dolce Vita waits for me, Victor… And for once, a day to come seems shorter than the year that's gone.”

  About the Author

  James is my given name, but most folks call me Jay. I live in New York City, grew up on Long Island, and graduated from Moravian College with a degree in English literature. I spent fifteen years building a technology career in the retail, sports, media, and entertainment industries. I enjoyed my job, but a passion for books and stories had been missing far too long. I am a voracious reader in my favorite genres (thriller, suspense, contemporary, mystery, and historical fiction), as books transport me to a different world where I can immerse myself in so many fantastic cultures and places. I am an avid genealogist who hopes to visit all the German, Scottish, Irish, and British villages my ancestors emigrated from in the 18th and 19th centuries. I write a daily blog and publish book reviews on everything I read at ThisIsMyTruthNow via WordPress. Most of my free time is spent with family, friends, my significant other and our Shiba inu dog, Ryder, who even has his own Facebook page.

  Writing has been a part of my life as much as my heart, my mind, and my body. I decided to pursue my passion by dusting off the creativity inside my head and drafting outlines for several novels. I suddenly realized I was back in my element, growing happier and more excited with life each day. When I completed the first book, Watching Glass Shatter, I knew I'd stumbled upon my passion again, suddenly dreaming up characters, plots, and settings all day long. I chose my second novel, Father Figure, through a poll on my blog where I let everyone vote for their favorite plot and character summaries. My goal in writing is to connect with readers who want to be part of great stories and who enjoy interacting with authors. To get a strong picture of who I am, check out my author website or my blog where the 365 Daily Challenge reveals something about my personality every day. It's full of humor and eccentricity, sharing connections with everyone I follow, all in the hope of building a network of friends across the world.

  Websites & Blog

  Website: https://jamesjcudney.com/

  Blog: https://thisismytruthnow.com

  Social Media Links

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamescudney4

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesJCudneyIVAuthor/

  Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jamescudney4/

  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamescudney4/

  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jamescudney4

  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamescudney4

  Dear reader,

  Thank you for taking time to read Watching Glass Shatter. Word of mouth is an author's best friend and much appreciated. If you enjoyed it, please consider supporting this author:

  Leave a book review on Amazon US, Amazon (also your own country if different), Goodreads, BookBub and any other book site you use to help market and promote this book

  Tell your friends, family and colleagues all about this author and his books

  Share brief posts on your social media platforms and tag (#WatchingGlassShatter) the book or author (#JamesJCudney) on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, WordPress, Google+, Tumblr, YouTube, Bloglovin, and SnapChat

  Suggest the book for book clubs, to book stores or to any libraries you know