Page 223 of Rogue Riders Duet

He’s never said that to me before.

Not once.

And now I don’t know whether to fall apart or hold tighter to the walls I built to survive without hearing it. So I just sit, trying to breathe through a chest that feels like it’s been cracked wide open.

It’s only seconds before I realize I can’t sit alone in this room anymore. My conflicted and confused feelings will swallow me whole. I push the covers off and swing my legs over the edge, biting down on a wince as my hand protests with a sharp sting.

Bathroom. Painkillers. Fresh air. Something.

I stumble through the motions, cold water on my face, toothpaste that tastes too minty, a fresh shirt, and a pair of jeans that tug weirdly over my still-stiff hip. It’s all a little too real, too normal after everything he just said.

After the I love you that landed twenty-four years too late.

What the hell was that?

Was this some kind of pre-death epiphany?

Maybe we should be worried. Maybe he got a diagnosis and only has two weeks to live, and this is his farewell tour. Because, honestly, that would make way more sense than whatever just happened here.

I yank open the door and step into the hallway, and immediately, something feels off. It’s way too quiet. No voices, no footsteps, not even the distant clatter of dishes or a sarcastic quip from Luc echoing down the hall. And that man cannot not be heard. It’s like he came with a built-in speaker system.

I make my way toward the kitchen, bare feet silent against the floor, and find Élise at the table, reading a magazine, a mug of tea steaming beside her. She looks up as I walk in, her face immediately warming with affection as she smiles at me.

“Hey, chérie,” she says, setting the magazine down. “Would you like some tea?”

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Yeah, thank you.”

She stands to pour it for me. “Dane and Piper went for a walk. Your dad left not long ago. Otis and Luc are at the gym.”

I freeze.

Everyone is gone?

Élise must notice, because she comes back to the table and places the tea in front of me. “I asked them to go.”

“You did?” I ask, eyebrows furrowing.

She nods. “Luc would’ve never left your side willingly, but I wanted a chance to talk to you. Alone.”

I blink at her, unsure of what I’m supposed to say, but I nod, because okay.

She reaches across the table and squeezes my forearm, carefully avoiding my cast. “How are you feeling?”

I lift the tea to my lips, giving myself a second to answer. “The pain meds are doing their job.”

“That’s not what I asked.” Her gaze meets mine, wide open and full of something I don’t recognize.

Would my mom have looked at me like this?

Would she have known to ask the right questions without saying much at all, without letting me dodge them?

Is this what having a mom would feel like?

The thought knocks something loose, and before I can stop it, my eyes fill again.

Élise stands immediately and pulls me to my feet. She doesn’t hesitate, just wraps her arms around me and tucks my head against her shoulder, one hand stroking my hair, the other rubbing gentle circles over my back.

“It’s all right,” she whispers into my ear. “Everything’s going to be okay. I’ve got you, ma belle. We all do. You’re not alone, okay? You hear me? Everything will be all right.”