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“Says who?”
“Speak up, Conor,” my kid groused. “It’s rude to whisper.”
Conor laughed. “It doesn’t matter, Katina.”
“That means it does,” she said with a pout.
Knowing I had to make a point, I brought us back to the subject at hand. “What happened after Conor took you home?”
Katina ducked her head. “Maverick punched him and he hit his head on the ground. But I didn’t know that was going to happen! Maverick’s the bad one. Why didn’t his mom tell him you’re not supposed to hit people like you told me?”
Fuck. I nearly choked on my laughter as I managed to get out, “Our actions have consequences, Kat.”
“Conor found you though.”
“He did.”She had me there.
“He wouldn’t have found you if I hadn’t asked him to go looking. You would still be lost.”
Conor cleared his throat. “I’d been searching for her for a while, Katina. I know you wanted to speak to me because you were scared, but it scaredmeto think that you ran away from Jersey and came into the city alone.
“New York isn’t safe for little girls.”
“New York isn’t safe for big girls,” I retorted.
He winced. “Star’s right.”
Kat crinkled her nose. “I won’t do it again. I’m really sorry Maverick smacked you, Conor. Alessa made him sleep on the couch because of it after she stopped crying when she saw I was back.” Knowing what was incoming, I waited for the drum roll... “Star, why is sleeping on the couch a punishment? I like sleeping on the couch.”
“You like watching TV before bed,” I quipped. “You don’t like the couch. Plus, you’re little.”
“I’m not that little!”
“You’re littler than Maverick, aren’t you?” I argued.
She pouted. “Not by much.”
“By two and a half feet,” I drawled.
“That’s not much.”
“It makes all the difference on a couch,” Conor teased, which considering how we’d spent the night, had me turning to him with a laugh.
Kat flicked a glance between us, then slowly, she asked, “When are you coming home? I miss your PB&J sandwiches.”
“I’ve found a way to get to the people who hurt me, Kat,” I admitted. “It won’t be for a while. But I will have more time to call you now. I—” The word ‘promise’ was on the tip of my tongue.
Conor squeezed my arm. “I’m here now, Kat. You know she’s safe because we’re always safe when we’re with family.”
Jesus, his words made me want to cry as much as her tears had.
Confusion bled into her expression. “You’re not family though,” she answered him, her tone careful.
Gruffly, he corrected, “Family can be chosen.”
“Star chose me,” Katina agreed.
“And I choose you both,” was his light reply.
