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“Get in line.” She tips her head back, blinking up at the ceiling.
Emilia gently rests the ice pack on Mick’s cheek, then steps back.
“Baby, c’mere.” Mikayla flicks her fingers at Ethan. “Just… I need you to sit beside me. Please.”
He slumps onto the couch with a huff, but his movements are tender as he lifts Mikayla into his lap and cradles her against him. Taking the ice pack off her, he holds it in place, looking miserable but at least calm.
I know she didn’t say that for her benefit. Mick’s not a super affectionate person. I mean, she sits on Ethan’s knee and stuff, but she doesn’t need cuddles the same way I do. What happened just now was Mick’s way of trying to make her boyfriend feel better.
“I look like shit.” She sighs. “But I’m gonna heal. It’s seriously not as bad as it looks. I promise.” Sitting up, she holds his face in her small hands and manages to get a minuscule smile out of him.
It’s short-lived, but it’s something.
The tension in the room starts to ease until Michael huffs, “Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on! Why is my daughter sitting on the couch looking like she’s just competed in an MMA fight?”
I let out a shuddering sigh and cover my mouth.
Mikayla catches my eye, her sad frown telling me I can’t say nothing.
Closing my eyes, I suck in a ragged breath and confess, “It was Matt.”
“Who’s Matt?” Michael barks while Liam goes instantly tense beneath me.
“He’s friends with my ex,” I murmur. “He…” My nostrils start to tingle as tears build in the back of my throat. “He beat me up once. And my ex let him.” Talking is becoming hard work, but I push on, knowing I have to get this out. Mick’s dad deserves an explanation. “I, um… I ran away. And…” My breath catches, and I stare across the room at Mick.
Her eyebrows buckle. My face must be showing just how terrified I am to admit this, but doesn’t she have a right to know?
“And I stole all their poker winnings.” I can’t look at anyone, so I dip my chin, staring at the carpet while the shame rides through me. “Three grand…ish. I just took it all. Grabbed it off the table and bolted out the door. That’s why he’s still so angry with me.” I cover my eyes with shaking fingers. “I never wanted to see either of them again. I thought it’d be safe enough here. They live in Fontana, for fuck’s sake.” My arm flicks into the air. “But there he was. The second he saw me, I knew he was still so pissed. I had to run.” A dry sob comes out of me, shaking my entire body. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I tried to hide her, I swear. I never wanted Mick to get hurt. I’m so sorry.” The sobs are turning wet and real. “This is all my fault, and I’m sorry, Mick. I’m sorry.”
“Oh shut up, Ray.” Mick’s crying now too. Jumping off Ethan’s knee, she walks across the room and pulls me into a hug. “This is not your fault. I couldn’t let him get you. I’ll always fight for my girl. You know that.” Pulling away from me, she brushes the tears off my face. “You don’t have to apologize for anything.”
“But you got hurt.”
“I’ll heal. Seriously, bodies heal. That’s what they do.” Her voice pitches as she turns to look around the room. “Everyone just needs to stop fussing and focus on the real issue here. Making sure that asswipe doesn’t come anywhere near Ray again.”
“You need to report him.” Michael says the words quietly, but they’re still heavy and awkward.
Especially when I have to follow it up with “I can’t. Theo’s dad is the chief of police in Fontana. His uncle’s a defense attorney. All reporting them will do is stir up a hornet's nest. Plus, I… I stole that money. I’m a thief. I…”
“You’re not a thief.” Liam massages the back of my neck.
I spin to face him. “I am. That money wasn’t mine, but I took it because I was pissed at the way they treated me. I wanted to punish them.”
“And they deserved it.”
“It still doesn’t make it right,” I mumble.
The room falls silent, and I don’t know what to say.
Emilia clears her throat, and I glance at her as she shares a silent conversation with Michael. My parents used to do that. Before Dad died.
Dad.
My stomach shrinks just thinking about how he’d react to all of this. He’d be livid at Theo and Matt, but he’d also be disappointed in me. Sad that I took that money.
If he’d been alive, I wouldn’t have.
I would have run straight to his house, knowing he’d protect me.
