AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah.”
I gulp and blink to clear out the emotions.
“What’s the other thing?”
His face blanches. “Gloria needs to leave. Her granddaughter went into labor. I checked with Kate, but she’s unavailable until later this afternoon. So I told Gloria to give us an hour to relieve her.”
My breath hitches, and my chest tightens. I’m not upset he’ll be leaving, but that he had to choose between us in the first place. The tight lines of his face show how much he hates not being part of the mission; it’s clear he’s struggling with his decision. I never want that for him. There is only one choice.
She comes first.
Always.
“Oh. Okay. I understand. You need to go.”
“No, Mia. I don’t want to abandon the op. Protecting you is important to me too, and I need to get this guy. It’s personal. I feel split here, but I thought of a way we can both still be part of this.”
My heart flutters. “How?”
“I was hoping you’d be willing to monitor the op from my mom’s house while keeping an eye on her. She’s usually calm during the first half of the day and won’t likely need much attention. Just ensure she doesn’t get into something she shouldn’t or wander off. As for the op, Big Al will officially take the con from here. You would assist remotely for technical shit he can’t handle. You can VPN to anything here that isn’t already on your laptop, right? And you’ll have mine too, so you’ll have an extra screen. Plus, I have a dual monitor extender there from when I’ve worked from her place. You’d have enough screens to manage.”
Here come the waterworks.
“You’d trust me with your mom?” I croak.
Oh great, a toad has lodged itself in my throat.
The lines on his forehead become more pronounced, and he licks his lips. “I guess I do. Never once in my thought process did I doubt your ability or desire to care for her the same way I would. It might be stupid or foolhearted since we haven’t been together for long, but I trust you with everything. Trust you to have my back. Trust you to watch my mom. And trust you to hold my heart.”
“I love you.” The words fly out at Mach speed.
But I don’t regret saying them.
His chin quivers, and his eyes warm. He cups my cheeks in his special way that always makes me feel cherished.
And loved.
He kisses me slow and deep, his tongue tasting mine with languid strokes. I sense his love for me before he says the words.
But he does say them.
“You’re my once-in-a-lifetime, Miriam Ella Bennett. I am over the moon in love with you.”
Chapter47
She's our mama now too
KLEIN
With one hand on the door, I toss one last look over my shoulder. “See you soon, Ma.”
“Bye, Calvin,” my mother calls back from the dining room table. A puzzle is spread out in front of her, and she’s pleasant as pie right now, thankfully.
Mia offers her lips to me for another goodbye peck.
“We’ll be fine here. You be safe,” she whispers when we break apart. “And try not to kill Tony. Not that I care if he lives, but I don’t want you to go to jail. A throat punch is totally warranted, though. Encouraged, even.”
“Thanks for clarifying the reason you think he should live. I’ll take that under consideration but make no promises.”
