“Isn’t it illegal to kick her out.”
“They’re not,” he said. “The doctor really thinks she can do her rehab outpatient and it will save her money.”
“That’s nice, right?”
“Yeah, actually, they’ve been really fuckin’ cool,” Aero said. “But it means I have to stay.”
“Yeah.” I bit back tears. “For how long?”
He dragged his hand over his beard. “A few weeks, maybe a month.”
I sniffed, wiping the tears from the corner of my eyes.
“Baby, it’s not forever.”
“Itisforever. A month is forever,” I whispered.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “I was hopin’ it wouldn’t sound so bad when I said it out loud.”
“You were wrong.”
“I was so fuckin’ wrong.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay, this is what we’re going to do. I’m going to go home and finish out finals, then I’m coming back and staying with you until your mom is well.”
“What about your job?”
“You’re more important.”
“Baby, you can’t just tell your job to fuck off. We also need to find a place to live. I can crash at the club or with Mom, but—”
“Dad said he’d set us up.”
“What the fuck?” he whispered.
“Dad said—”
“No, I heard you, Violet,” he growled. “But there is no way inhellanother man’s takin’ care of my business.”
“Don’t get mad at me,” I snapped. “I’m just the messenger.”
He dragged his hands down his face again.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I know this is a shit sandwich.”
“I need you to go home, Letti. If you blow up your life because of this, I’ll be pissed.” He reached for my hand. “And if you even entertain the thought that I don’t want you here, I’ll be doubly pissed.”
“I don’t want you here alone.”
“I know, baby. It’s the last thing I want as well, but you need to pass your finals and make sure you secure your place at the zoo.”
“I know,” I whispered. “But what if your mom never gets better?”
“Let’s cross that bridge if it happens.”
“I’d rather plan for the worst-case scenario,” I countered.
“I’ll move her to Colorado.”
