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Haize sat on the edge of the bed, tears falling down her cheeks. “Please, Mikey. Please tell me when you get those cravings. Would you have told me if I hadn’t asked?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Please. Tell me. I can’t help you if I don’t know.”
“Come here, Haize. Come back to bed.”
She scooted back under the sheets, and he held her close, her body soothing against his, her back pushed against him. Despite her facing away, he held onto her, resting his face on the nape of her neck. He still felt anxious, but her presence was helpful. Her smooth skin was like a security blanket that fit him perfectly.
“We need to do the intervention today, Haize. I can’t get it off my mind. I’m scared if we wait, it might be too late.”
“I don’t want you to take on too much.”
“Waiting will make it all seem worse. Will you help me with it today?”
She turned to face him, kissing his chin and down to his collarbone. It sent a chill through him that nestled between his legs. “We have a plan for the intervention. We need to make a plan if your brother says no. How are you gonna take it, and how can we make sure you don’t relapse? It’s a tough question, but one we need to think about.”
“Then we leave. Then I focus on Jace and the court. Just like you said – I cut all ties with him.”
“That means no more contact with Mitch.” Her blue eyes met his, red from crying as she waited for his answer.
Smoothing his hand down her hair, he closed his eyes and fought back the tears that were on the verge of falling. “No more contact. Not until he’s clean.” It was one of the hardest things he had to agree to, and he wondered if he could stick with it. Haize meant the world to him, but Mitch was his brother and the only family who had stuck by him despite their challenges.
“Let’s try and get some sleep, Mikey. We’ve got a big day ahead of us, and we need to rest.” Her hand slid down his side, resting on his stomach again. He guided his hand to the small of her back, pushing her as close as he could get her.
“I love you, Haize. I’m sorry I’m putting you through this.”
“You’re not putting me through anything I can’t handle. I love you, too, Mikey. I’m here for you.”
His body dozed, relaxing into the mattress, and the next time he woke up, it was the alarm for him to get ready for work. Breaking their warm embrace was a challenge, but he had to get through the workday and transition his focus to Mitch and how he was going to handle every possibility that could happen during the intervention.
Haize picked Michael up from work around 3:00. She had blocked off her afternoon appointments to prepare, and when Michael saw her in the parking lot, ready to go, he fought off the nausea as he climbed into the passenger side. One of the hardest parts about having an intervention with Mitch was catching him when he was sober, which wasn’t often lately.
“I just talked to him. He sounded sober, though I’m not sure if he is. He’s good at hiding it.”
“What did you tell him?” Haize put the car in gear and merged onto the road headed to Mitch’s house.
“I told him I needed to stop by for a few more of my things I left behind. He said that was fine, but to hurry and get over there because he had plans.”
“Plans,” Haize repeated, nodding her head. “What do you think those plans might be?”
Michael glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Likely a binge-fest and a couple of women. Same shit I used to do.”
Haize reached out and took his hand, resting her other hand on the steering wheel. “Are you still having the whiskey craving?”
“A little, but not bad. Work helped get my mind off it. Seeing you did too.”
She was wearing sunglasses, so Michael couldn’t tell if she was crying. The conversation went quiet as they pulled onto Mitch’s Street, and Michael fought another bout of nausea as she parked in the driveway behind his pickup. He figured that was a combat move to prevent him from driving off.
They got out and Michael noticed the curtains in the front window moved to the side. The door opened before they reached the top of the porch and Mitch arched his eyebrow at the sight of Haize standing there. He had an open beer bottle in his hand but did appear to still be sober. Maybe his drinking had just started, and they caught him at the perfect time.
“You didn’t tell me she was coming over here.” He pointed with the beer bottle. “Shall I offer either of you a drink, or are you judging me for this?”
“Have a seat, Mitch. Can we talk for a second?” Michael stood in the entryway, closing the door behind him as Haize sat on the couch adjacent to Mitch. Michael debated on staying at the door, but that seemed defensive, and his brother already had his guard up.
“What the hell do you wanna talk about? You just said you wanted to grab some more of your stuff.”
“Mikey is worried about you, Mitch. I am, too.”
