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His brow was still furrowed, but his mouth snapped shut. Hands fisted at his sides, he sucked in a deep breath before blowing it out.
“I don’t think it’s right. What are you going to do when you start showing too much to hide that you’re pregnant? Or when you have a mark on your neck? Or when your scent changes? She sees you every day, it’s not like—”
Michael stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening in realization.
“She won’t see you every day, because you’ll be living with him.”
The way he said it felt like an accusation, and my shoulders hunched before I forced myself to straighten and meet his glare.
“I am not abandoning Momma to run off to a new life. You either. You’re still going to go to college and have a life, and I’m going to take care of her.”
“But what’s going to happen to her? Are you going to leave her here alone? You know she can’t be by herself that much!”
His voice rose with each sentence, arms gesturing wildly as his chest heaved. His scent had soured as he pumped fear into the air. My own pulse hammered as he stirred up all the arguments I’d had with myself, and I had to fight not to yell back.
“I’m not going to leave her alone, Michael! There’s no reason for you to get worked up as if I’m just going to forget about her.”
His mouth dropped open, head jutting forward like he couldn’t believe what I said.
“No reason to get worked up? Let me list the reasons, Cadence!”
He stepped closer, holding up a finger.
“Our debt was paid off and you quit your job without telling us, for how long? I doubt I wantthatanswer, cause trust is already running a little thin right now.”
He sucked in a breath, another finger rising.
“You’re not only engaged to an alpha, you’re already pregnant, and you want to keep that from Momma because you think it will upset her. Wellmaybeyou should have thought about that before you did it!”
I jumped to my feet, anger flooding my veins, but he kept going.
“The only options I see are either taking Momma from the only home she knows, the home we were born in and the last place we saw Daddy. You’d either put her in a nursing facility, or take her away to have her somehow live with you. Or the alpha would move in here, which since we haven’t evenmethim, seems unlikely, and would cause Momma serious issues.Or, you’re planning to leave her here alone, which means she’ll end updead!”
I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw ached, but the ache in my heart was stronger. Michael was right, and I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t be selfish and ask him not to go to college. I knew Leo wouldn’t want to live in our dingy little home, yet I doubted I could get Momma to leave. Even if I did, it would be a daily battle when Momma woke up in a place she didn’t know.
The anger drained away, replaced by guilt and heartache.
“I know, Michael.I know! I just don’t know what to do so I can...”
I trailed off.
What, be happy? Have my own life?
It all sounded so selfish.
I dropped to the bed, my entire body deflating as a chill worked through my body. Marrying Leo was a great fantasy, whether or not we bonded, but I’d been so caught up in the moment I hadn’t thought it through, and I couldn’t see how to work it out.
“Who is he?”
When I glanced up, Michael’s head was cocked to the side. The previous anger and fear were gone from his gaze, replaced by a weariness that echoed inside me, bone deep. He was too young to carry so much, and I had to fix this.
“I guess it doesn’t matter now. You’re right. I can’t go through with it.”
Michael moved to my side, dropping onto the bed and slinging an arm around my shoulders. I didn’t even have the energy to be irritated by the way he messed up my blankets.
“Hey, I’m not saying to give up. I want you to be happy too, but we’ve got to think about Momma, and how we can take care of her, too. Maybe if we all sat down together, we could figure something out? The house is paid off, and there will be two extra rooms if you marry the guy and I go to college, so maybe we can find a live-in nurse or something?”
I tried to force a smile, but my heart wasn’t in it. Even if I could afford to pay for something like that, how was I going to find someone I trusted? How could I live with the guilt of not being here for my mother?
