The knot in my heart loosens, and my eyes get hot.
I choose you.
My life has never been hard for me, but I know it’s hard for other people around me.
And she knows—she knowswhat she’s signing up for.
“Saved the chicken,” Theo calls.
“We never had doubts,” Laney calls back. “Also,shush. This is the good part.”
Emma half smiles and rolls her eyes, which are looking a little shiny too.
“You’re fucking amazing,” I say hoarsely. “You know that?”
She shakes her head. “I’m a ferocious mama bear madly in love with my baby’s daddy. That’s all.”
“I have to go somewhere and do something,” I tell her.
“I’m going with him.” Theo strides back into the room with Bash under one arm and the chicken in the other. I knew it was a risk, bringing Yolko Ono to a house with cats, but I couldn’t leave her there. And my security team is guarding the coop at Emma’s house under strict orders to take care of anyone who makes a single chickenbagockwrong.
“You two arenot—” Laney starts, but Emma cuts her off.
“Let them do what they think they need to do. Much as I’d like to handle the problem my own way, a mantervention might be the only thing that solves the root of the problem.”
Laney gapes at her.
But Theo puffs his chest out. “Damn right. Mantervention it is. Jonas, guess that means you’re sitting this one out—ow—ow—ow—ow!”
“I’ll mantervention you, too, if you don’t do this the right way,” Emma says as she lets go of his ear. She looks at Laney. “And if a mantervention doesn’t work,thenwe do it our way.”
“You’re okay?” I slip an arm around Emma’s waist and tug her closer. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
“I will be.” She pecks my cheek. “Bash, I’ll bet we can find Uncle Theo’s stash of chocolate chip cookie dough if we look hard enough.”
“Tookie dough!” Bash yells.
“Afteryou eat watermelon and a grilled cheese for lunch.”
“Oh my god, that sounds good,” Laney murmurs.
Emma slips away, heading to the kitchen, but not before squeezing me back one more time.
I watch her, looking for any signs this is a mask. That she’s putting on a brave front. That she’s waiting for me to leave to give in to the desire to collapse in on herself the same way I found her in Fiji.
But Theo claps me on the shoulder and mutters, “She’s a lot stronger than any of us give her credit for, and even if she wasn’t, she’s not alone,” and my nerves settle.
“I’m driving,” I tell him.
“Your security team’s driving and we both know it.”
“Semantics.”
My security team drives.
The entire trip, I read over the document Mom’s assistant forwarded like I’ll be on camera in ten and the entire script changed overnight.
Theo stares at me without saying a word.
