“I care.” I kissed her forehead. “And I don’t want you getting sick. It’s too cold. We need to go home.”
I could’ve taken her to Ale’s, but that would only delay the storm waiting at Russell’s. Kaia still had school. I still had training—even if racing for Russell felt as appealing as riding a bike through a downpour.
Kaia pressed her cold palm to my cheek. “What if he suspects something if he sees us together?”
I turned and kissed her hand. “I’ll say you called because you needed a ride.” Shrugging off my jacket, I held it out. “Come on, take this.”
“No, Ash.” She shook her head. “It’s too cold for you to ride without.”
“Don’t ever argue with me about keeping you safe.” I draped the jacket over her shoulders. A thought I dreaded slipped in, uninvited.
Who will keep her safe when she’s away? Who will she call if she needs help? And if she calls me and I can’t get to her fast enough, will she forgive me? Will I forgive myself?
“It smells like you.” Kaia buried her nose in the collar, wrapping the jacket tight.
A pang stabbed under my ribs. “Keep it.”
***
“This is unacceptable, Asher,” my mother said an hour later, right after Kaia went upstairs. “Russell was sick with worry. You should’ve called us the moment Kaia called you.”
Funny he worried now, after letting her walk out. “Where is he, then?” I stalked into the kitchen with my mother trailing behind. “Off to collect the Father of the Year Award?”
Her dramatic exhale grated on me even before she spoke. “Adults have responsibilities. If we stopped work every time a child threw atantrum—”
“Then what?” I yanked a pot from the cabinet. “You’d finally get promoted to a parent who gives a fuck? Joder, qué horror.”Fuck, what a horror.
“Don’t.” She crossed her arms. “Don’t be a smartass. Russell is trying to save Kaia’s academic future. He cares about her well-being. Sending her to that school will cost him thousands.”
“Away from everyone and everything she knows and loves? Should she thank him?”
“You care about her.”
Fuck. My jaw tightened. I turned to fill the pot at the sink. I didn’t need her suspicions, but I wasn’t going to lie either. “Isn’t that what you wanted when you pushed me to live here?”
She sighed. “Of course we want you and Kaia to get along, but you shouldn’t—”
“Do you know what I shouldn’t?” I set the pot on the stove. “I shouldn’t waste time listening to excuses you make for Russell when I should be cooking soup for the girl who nearly froze crying at her mother’s grave.”
Her mouth fell open. “She wentthere? We didn’t think…”
“And that’s exactly the problem. You didn’t think. Neither did your boyfriend—too busy for the one person who should come first. Because he’s herfather.”
I was fucking done. If Russell had really cared, he would’ve called her himself. I was sick of both their half-assed attempts at pretending they gave a damn.
I opened the fridge and scanned the shelves for vegetables.
Feet slapped across the tiles behind me, but when I turned, my mother was gone.
Good. She could call Russell and complain about me for all I cared. I had one priority—Kaia.
***
An hour later, I knocked on Kaia’s door, balancing a tray with the chicken soup I’d made. Knowing her, she hadn’t eaten since lunch, and it was already past nine.
“Come in.” Her soft voice floated through the door. I eased it open and stepped inside.
A candle flickered on the nightstand. Kaia sat curled in bed withEl Principitoand the green folder spread across the comforter.
