God, I want to.
“I’m her mother,” I whisper. “It’s my job to keep her safe.”
“And you did.”
My laugh comes out broken. “She was carried out of a burning house.”
“She’s alive.” His thumb brushes a tear from my cheek. “Because you called me. Because Foster ran in. Because she stayed low. Because she listened. Because every choice you made before that moment taught her how to survive.”
My chest shakes.
“I’m so tired.”
“I know, baby.”
“I don’t know how to fix any of this.”
“You don’t have to fix it tonight.”
That makes me cry harder.
Because I always have to fix it.
Everything.
Every bill.
Every broken fence.
Every scared animal.
Every hard question from my daughter.
Maverick pulls me against his chest.
For one second, I resist.
Then I fold completely.
His arms close around me.
“Tonight,” he says against my hair, “you breathe. You get warm. You let me carry what you cannot.”
“Who would do something like this?”
“I don’t know.”
His lips press to the top of my head.
“But I promise you…Iwillfind out.”
Chapter Sixteen
Mia
I wake to a small body launching itself onto the bed.
“Oof.”
