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This was happening.
I’d have to tell Michael, but part of me flinched away from thinking about telling Momma. On a good day the news would be hard, and it would be impossible on a day when she was lost to the ghosts of the past and her own pain.
Sudden tears burned my eyes at the thought of how disappointed Momma would be with me. I had been careless and selfish, but the consequences wouldn’t only affect me.
“Cadence?”
The voice behind me made me jump, and I blinked furiously to drive the tears away. Turning to face Wendy, I pasted on the best smile I could manage.
“Yeah? Sorry, I spaced for a minute. Did you need something?”
The pretty eyes behind her thick lenses studied me for a moment before she shook her head.
“No, you’re just usually one of the first out the door so you don’t miss your bus. I wanted to be sure you were okay?”
My eyes jerked to the clock, and I let out a soft curse as I reached for the mouse to shut down my computer.
“Thank you, I wasn’t paying attention.”
Wendy smiled and nodded when I glanced back up at her. If my life had been different, she was someone I’d have made the effort to befriend, but I’d never had the time for friends.
Grabbing my purse, I bolted for the door, thanking Wendy again as I ran. It didn’t matter so much anymore since I didn’t have to worry about being late to Frankie’s, but I had to maintain the charade for my family, and Michael would worry if I didn’t come home on time to eat with them before leaving.
The other people waiting for the bus were all that saved me. I ran up just as the last person stepped on, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. I scanned my bus card and dropped into the first seat, too distracted to even scan for alphas who might scent me.
The whole way home my thoughts circled the question of how to tell Michael and Momma. The whole deal with Leo was supposed to have ended before anyone found out, but there would be no hiding a baby, and Leo still insisted he wanted to claim me.
And I believed him, I just didn’t think I could let it happen.
I let out a sigh as my stop came into view, and I pushed the thoughts aside. I could wait until I saw the doctor to figure out what to say to Michael. Momma would be a whole other issue that I just didn’t have the energy to figure out.
Dinner passed as usual. Michael and Momma chatted about fixing up the flower beds, and I pitched in now and then, but it was a conversation they’d had a hundred times. We’d never had the money to actually do any of what they talked about, but pretending it would happen made Momma happy.
It was a relief to escape to my room to change despite the guilt over leaving Michael to clean up. When I returned downstairs to find Momma crying at the table, my mood sank further.
“Don’t worry about her, you’ve got to get to work.”
Michael slipped around me to take a seat next to Momma as I stood frozen in the doorway. He was too young to be saddled with the responsibility of taking care of our mother. It felt wrong to leave them, but my lies meant I had no choice unless I was ready to come clean.
“Go, before you’re late,” he called as he wrapped an arm around Momma.
She fought him for a moment before giving in to the sobs and letting him pull her close. A lump grew in my throat as I turned and walked down the hallway, my own tears falling despite my efforts to hold them back. I couldn’t stop the thoughts that this was my fault. That I was being selfish by spending my nights with Leo when Michael thought I was slaving away at Frankie’s to keep from losing the house.
The drive across the city didn’t improve my mood, though I got the tears under control as I pulled into the parking spot Leo had designated for me. It was still odd to see an old run-down warehouse when I knew what was inside.
I slipped in through the door Leo had brought me out the night of the auction, nodding at the guard who lingered nearby. That night felt like so long ago, it was hard to believe it had only been a few months.
The thought of going to Leo’s office and changing once again before going into the club was daunting, and I hesitated where the hallways branched before deciding it was too much. I knew Leo didn’t care what I wore, he’d only bought me the clothes to make me more comfortable when I had worried my appearance might embarrass him.
The moment the doors to the balcony opened, the noise hit. It was a physical pressure on my ears, the vibration echoing through my chest as lights flashed from the level below. Usually the balcony was quieter than the dancefloor, but it seemed as if the music was turned up to the max.
It took a few minutes of searching to spot Leo. He tended to stay on the balcony, only going down when there was an issue he needed to handle, but the area was crowded, and he wasn’t in his usual seat. I finally found him near the bar behind the pool tables. He turned as I approached, his smile at seeing me fading as he closed the space between them.
“What’s wrong?”
I barely heard him over the noise. He reached out to cup my cheek, warmth spreading from where his palm made contact with my flesh, and I tried to shake my head, but his other hand moved below my chin and forced me to meet his gaze. I knew he wouldn’t relent until I gave him an answer.
“I’m just tired, and it’s a little loud here tonight.”
