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Chapter Thirty-three
Zadie
Yourmomhadanaccident.
The words kept repeating in my head.
Eli said she was okay. She wasn’t even in the hospital. But I couldn’t stop the panic and knew it would only recede when I saw her in person—when I touched her, felt her heart beating under my ear, assured myself she was alive.
I was alone in my suite, Helen and Elena off doing something far more exciting than hanging out with their sad, freaked-out roommate, trying to figure out how I was going to get to my mom. She lived an hour away. I could take an Uber. It would cost a fortune, but I’d already racked up quite the bill from visiting Julien, and there was no question she was worth the price too.
As I scrolled through the app, there was a knock on my door. When I didn’t get up to answer right away, another knock followed. Frustrated at the interruption, I tucked my phone into my hoodie pocket and threw open the door.
Even out of my mind with worry, Amir Vasquez possessed the ability to take my breath away. With his hands braced on either side of the doorjamb, he peered at me from under his thick, sooty lashes, sweeping a gaze over me that was two parts longing and a whole lot of desire.
“Amir.” I sighed his name like he was a daydream.
“Zadie.” He statedmyname like it meant more than just ‘princess.’ It was his mission statement.Iwas his mission. “Are you ready?”
My mouth fell open, then I realized why he was here.
I’d forgotten he was coming. I’d been anticipating and dreading this day since that night in the hospital. And now that he was here, I couldn’t stay.
He stepped into my room, taking my face in his hands. “What’s wrong?”
“My mom…I have to go. I need to order an Uber so I can go—”
“Stop.” His thumb stroked my jaw. “You need to get to your mom?”
“Yes. Eli texted. My mom had an accident. She’s home, but I need to see her with my own eyes. I’m a little bit freaking out right now.” I pushed my hair off my forehead. “I’m sorry, I just need to—”
“I’ll drive you.”
My nose twitched as my eyes burned with tears I refused to shed. “Okay. But it’s an hour away, so I could just take an Uber—”
His fingers threaded in my hair, tugging hard enough to capture my attention. “You’re not taking an Uber. I’ll drive you, Zadie. Grab whatever you need and we’ll go.”
“Okay.” I stared at him, into the brightness of his beautiful midnight eyes. I loved him. I ached from the hugeness of loving him. “Can you…will you hug me for a minute? I’m afraid I might fall apart and I just need you to hold me together.”
He had me in his arms before I could finish asking. He held me tight against his chest, shoring up my crumbling walls until I was reasonably sure I wouldn’t fall apart when he let go. And I clung to him for just a little bit longer than I strictly needed because I’d been starving to feelAmir’s arms around me.
I did let go, though. By the time I had thrown a few things into my overnight bag and grabbed my messenger bag, Amir was by the front door, waiting for me. He took my things from me wordlessly and directed me to his SUV. He handled me with the utmost care, and it both rattled and soothed me.
Once we were on the road, directions in his GPS, I turned to him. “I’m sorry. If you want to have our talk on the drive down—”
“No, mama. Concentrate on what you need to. Our stuff will wait.” He glanced over at me, then down at my messenger bag by my feet. “You’re staying overnight?”
“I don’t know. Maybe? I thought I might stay for the weekend, to see how I can help.” I pressed my hands into my thighs. “Eli said she fainted at the grocery store and tipped her cart over on her way down. She’s got a goose egg and some bruises, but she's okay. He thinks she ran herself ragged, which is on brand for my mom.”
He glanced at me again. “Runs in the family, right? Taking care of everyone before yourself.”
I dug my fingertips deeper into my thighs. “I don’t know, maybe. But I’m not my mom. She never stops. She’s always, always been supermom.”
“There’s nothing wrong with stopping and taking a break.” His head canted toward my legs. “You’re going to bruise yourself.”
I shook my hands out, but I needed something to do with them or I’d go crazy.
Amir offered me his hand. “Use it. Abuse it. I don’t break easily.”
