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“I’m sorry. I—” She pulls back some, sniffling and wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Shh,” I tell her, using my thumb to brush away new tears as they continue to fall.
She licks at her lips, and if there was ever a wrong time to track the swipe of her tongue over her pink lips, it’s now.
Doesn’t stop me from doing it, but I’m aware enough to know it’s wrong, especially with the direction my thoughts are quickly taking me.
Her eyes dart down to my mouth as if she just can’t help herself either, and call it instinct or muscle memory from the millions of other times our lips have met, but my body shifts, head leaning forward to capture her mouth with mine.
Reality of what we’re doing hits the second I feel her breath on my lips, making me pull back.
Her eyes dart away, and I hate the embarrassment tinting her cheeks pink as she clears her throat.
She’s vulnerable. She’s hurting. She’ll definitely regret anything we do, and I can’t compromise what I’m building with my son by pressing my lips to hers. I’ve had my mouth on every single inch of her delectable body, so I know my lack of limitations on stopping with just one kiss. Give me five minutes, and I’ll be inside of her.
“Sorry,” I whisper, putting some distance between our bodies.
“I umm... I have a lot to do tomorrow. I need to get some rest.”
“Yeah,” I say as I stand from the sofa, suddenly feeling shy and a little awkward. “I can swing by to help if you—”
“We’ll be fine. Alex has to get up and go to school, but I’ll—”
“Tomorrow is Sunday, but do you really think he’s not going to fight you on that come Monday morning?”
“He’ll want to do what makes Mom happy, and she’s always expressed the need for education. Since it’s important to her, it’ll be important to him.”
I nod, not completely convinced that Alex is going to be willing to leave the house while Brooke is here on her deathbed.
“I’ll call Mike at the school and explain what’s going on. Make sure he knows to keep a closer eye on him next week so he can defuse any situations before they get out of hand. I don’t want him to lose the progress he’s been making at school.”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
I see myself out, hating to be walking away but knowing that if I stay, I’m only going to make things more complicated than they already are.
When I sleep, I dream of being a superhero and protecting everyone that I love from all the terrible things that could ever happen to them. I wake up feeling defeated because I know it’s never that easy.
Chapter 16
Tinley
“I think that’s the last of it, Ms. Holland.” The young man gives me a smile as he makes his way back to the front door. “I’ll see you in a few days.”
When I turn back to the kitchen, I frown at the bags of groceries and ready-to-heat meals on the counter and kitchen table.
I told Ignacio I didn’t need his help the night I got back from the hospital with terrible news, but like every other stubborn man, he didn’t listen.
Hell, he didn’t even stay away. He’s been at the house more than Alex has since Saturday night. It’s Tuesday morning, and despite what Ignacio thought, Alex didn’t give me any problem with going to school yesterday morning. It helped that Mom was awake and cognizant some parts of Sunday. Alex spent a lot of time in her room, reading to her when she was awake and sitting at her bedside while she rested.
He's been so strong since that first night, and his maturity right now is almost as heartbreaking as his tears would be.
“Oh, good,” Ignacio says as he enters the kitchen to find the grocery bags displayed on the counter. “I was hoping they’d deliver earlier today.”
“I told you not to do this again,” I mutter, needing to complain but still grateful I don’t have to leave the house to go shopping.
“And I told you I was hungry.”
“You could go back to your own house to eat.”
He grins as he begins pulling groceries from one of the bags. Him being here is both weird and familiar all at the same time. We never spent any time in this house together. My dad would have thrown a fit if he knew I was hanging out with Ignacio against his expressed wishes, but we spent a lot of time together, nonetheless. After Alex telling me that Dad told him he was grateful to Ignacio for the grandson he gave him, I also don’t feel like I’m dishonoring his memory like I would’ve if I hadn’t been told that.
He turns to face me. “Do you want me to leave?”
