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“You’re right,” I admit, worrying at my lip as an idea takes shape.
Her hand travels down my arm to my hand, and she pulses around it. “How can I help with that?”
Can I trust Mia enough to ask this of her?
Do I roll the dice and hope Ma stays asleep all night? Or have a backup plan?
With my mom’s safety at stake, there’s only one choice.
I could ask Tomer, but he’s too emotionally invested in Lettie, and his bandwidth is already at capacity.
And yes, I realize how insane those words sound when strung together.Tomer is too emotional.
Hell has frozen over, pigs are flying, and a blue moon has risen.
My heart leaps into my throat. “There’s one way you can help me tonight.”
I can’t believe I’m about to confess this to Mia, of all people. No one at Redleg knows about my mother. I could have told them. They’d have understood. But I’ve been in denial, plain and simple.
I’ve avoided facing Ma’s condition. Talking about it with anyone other than Caroline makes it all too real.
But my Redleg family needs me tonight, and they deserve my full attention.
Mia rests her palms over my pecs, and the heat of her touch seeps through my shirt, reaching toward my heart.
“Is this the kind of favor that might help me earn you?”
I nod, holding her gaze while struggling to escape the overwhelming pull to get lost in her emerald eyes.
“Even if it wasn’t, I’d still say yes.”
Removing my phone from my pocket, I place it in her hand. “This is my personal cell. There’s an app on it that monitors the most important person in my life.”
The corners of her mouth droop. “Your mother, right?”
I swallow.Of courseshe knows.
Should I be angry at the invasion of my privacy or accept it as who she is and move on to the task at hand?
Time isn’t on my side, so I stuff my emotions in the corner. I’ll unpack them after the op.
“Yeah. She has…” I pause and swallow again, struggling to force it out. Saying the words out loud will be like sandpaper abrading my throat.
“You don’t have to say it, Cal. I already know.” A sorrow-filled smile tugs at her cheeks. “Show me the app. I’ll keep watch over her, and if something goes wrong, I’ll send help.”
The pointed tip of my tongue drags along the backs of my lips as I stifle a groan. Not only does she know how important Ma is to me, but she’s aware of her condition.
What the fuck else does she know?
She puts her palm on my cheek, and even though I’m mad at the invasion of my privacy, I don’t shy from her touch. I lean into it, soaking in the warmth of her skin on mine. “You can be mad at me later. But I was worried about you. Now show me what you need me to know so you can save Lettie without worrying about your mother. Tomer’s going to bust down the door any minute.”
Unable to resist, I slam our mouths together. A mix of passion and anger seeps into the kiss.
“Damn you,” I curse without anger as I withdraw, letting the slightest grin prick at my gruff expression.
“We can talk about it later, okay?”
I agree with a curt nod. My lips find their way to hers again like they can’t bear to be apart from them.
