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"Why isn't she answering her phone, and why are you there?"
I go to scold Kor for being so damn rude to Nolan's mom, but she beats me to it, "Watch your tone. She was having a hard day, so she called me over to have girl time. Bring pizza," and with that, she ends the call.
"She was having a bad day, and she didn't call us?" The hurt in my brother's voice has me frowning in confusion.
"Think about it as she was having a bad day, but she sought the help she needed. I'm proud of her for reaching out to Mia." Ryan and Nolan look contemplative in the backseat but nod in understanding, while Korren just frowns out the window. Eve not calling him is a big blow to his insecurities of not being enough, but if she called Mia instead of us, then I trust she did what was best for her at that moment.
"I'll order the pizza," Nolan mumbles after a moment of silence. I barely hear him on the phone as I drive us home a bit faster than I normally would.
Before I know it, I'm throwing the car in park and rushing to the front door ahead of the other three. "Eve?" I call out as soon as I'm through the threshold, making my way through the hallway and into the space between the kitchen, dining room, and staircase.
"Hush, you." In my haste, I didn't notice Mia sitting at the island with a glass of wine in her hand.
"What's going on, Ma?" Nolan asks as the three of them crowd around me. "Where's Evie? Is she okay?"
Mia's stern expression softens at the anxious energy suffocating the room around us. "She's fine, sweetheart. She's taking a bubble bath with a glass of wine."
"What happened?" Ryan makes his way over to her and drops a kiss on her cheek before sitting.
I don't miss the way her lip quivers before she swallows down whatever was saddening her. "She texted me and asked me to come over. When I got here she was crying on the couch, so we talked for a while. And now she's relaxing with some bubbles."
"What was wrong, though?" Kor's voice is tight next to me.
She sighs, "Boys, that's something that is not my place to say. She can talk to you about it when she's ready okay?"
I can feel my brother's intake of breath beside me as he gets ready to speak, but before he can, I lay a hand on his arm. "Thank you for being there for her today, Mia."
She waves me off with a watery smile. "No thanks needed, hun. She's my daughter. I won't say no to pizza, though. Eve needs some, too; I don't think she's eaten all day."
"WHAT?!" There are moments in life when the beast lying dormant in your body roars to life, making you more animal than human. "Eve...eat?" And unfortunately, my beast wakes up when my loved ones don't fucking eat.
"Caveman no speak?"
I whirl around at the humored voice of the woman that just had me seeing red. Eve's black hair is damp and hanging loose around her dainty shoulder. Her eyes are a little bloodshot but wide and filled with humor. The teeny smirk pulling on her scar has my shoulders relaxing again; she looks okay, if not a bit tired. And hungry.
What has me even more relieved than seeing my pretty girl's face is the knock at the door, signaling pizza has arrived. "You okay, sweet girl?" I can't help but ask her as she limps down the stairs.
Padding her way toward me, she wraps her arms around my waist with a small nod that ruffles my shirt and just about makes me purr. "I love you," she murmurs into my chest and almost manages to hide a sniffle.
"I love you too." Bending almost in half, I drop a lingering kiss on her vanilla-scented hair. "So much, Angel."
Just before she goes to burrow into me further, I get a whiff of cheesy goodness and scoop her up into my arms. "I can walk now," she grumbles but snuggles her way into my throat.
"This is for me." Dropping into the corner seat of the couch, I arrange her on me with a blanket. I don't even have to say a word before Nolan drops a pizza box and water beside us. He nods when I thank him and gives our girl a gentle kiss, making her hum out a happy breath.
As soon as I pop the lid open, her sleepy eyes snap open and land on her most favorite pizza. Thin crust, supreme. The others complain that so many toppings shouldn't be put on such a flimsy crust.
Me? I agree with them, but I get to sit closest to her on pizza night because we share. Nobody has found out about my genius idea, but I've noticed some longing looks lately. My guess is they will all 'realize' that it's not so bad.
"Why are you pouting?" She asks around a mouthful.
Am I?I laugh and shake my head. "I didn't realize I was, Angel. How's the pizza?" My chuckle continues when she responds, "Sssgoood."
Warmth floods my heart, watching her take teeny bites out of the large slice while sitting in my lap. I hate how little she weighs, but I've gotten better about realizing that she will always be fairly small.
It's fine as long as she eats. I frown at that...Mia said she didn't eat today. "You're pouting again." This time, her lips turn down as well after she pats them clean on a napkin.
"What did you eat today?" I ask, keeping the accusatory tone out of it, but she still drops her eyes in shame. "Hey, it's okay. Mia just mentioned you might not have eaten much. Do you want to talk about it?"
