“Damn, Angel,” he said, and his voice was so gentle it made my eyes burn.
I stood without thinking, dislodging the cats who didn’t even protest. Or maybe I just didn’t hear them.
He crossed the room in three strides and wrapped me up in a hug that was different from Jake’s. Jake’s was desperate. Bubba’s wascertain.Like he could hold me together by sheer force.
I grabbed onto him and breathed him in—soap and aftershave and a hint of oil, maybe from his bike.
“I’m okay,” I lied into his shoulder, because I didn’t want him to look more upset than he already did.
Bubba’s hold tightened. “No, you’re not,” he said softly. “And that’s fine. You don’t have to be.”
I broke.
Not fully. Not a sobbing mess. But my eyes flooded, and my throat made that stupid sound like my body was trying to cry without permission.
He pulled back just enough to look at me, cupping my face in his hands like I was seven again and scraped my knee. His thumbs brushed my cheeks, wiping tears.
“Where are the cats?” he asked, voice low and fierce.
I pointed behind me without thinking.
Tory chose that moment to leap onto Bubba’s shoulder like she owned him.
He blinked once, surprised, then his mouth twitched. “Hello to you too,” he muttered, steadying her automatically like this was normal.
That stupid sight—Bubba, with Tory perched like a pirate parrot—made me laugh through tears. Jake made a sound that might have been a reluctant chuckle. Bubba’s eyes flicked to Jake, then back to me. His expression sharpened again.
“Talk to me,” he said, motioning me back to the sofa. “What happened. From the top.”
So I did, and Jake got me perched in my seat and shifted my tray in front of me. It all smelled so damn good.
Not perfectly. Not in a straight line. But I told him about walking into my apartment and the movers and the boxes and the way the man had called me honey like I was insane. I told him about the address being Archie’s house. I told him about my mom showing up here like it was planned and fine andnormal.
By the time I finished, Bubba’s jaw was tight enough I thought his teeth might crack. Jake looked like he wanted to punch a wall.
And I felt… hollow. Like saying it out loud had sucked the last air out of me.
Bubba exhaled slowly. “Okay,” he said, too calm. Too controlled.
That was never a good sign.
“Where’s Coop?” I asked, because the absence was a weight. A missing tooth my tongue couldn’t stop finding.
Jake’s eyes flicked away.
Bubba’s expression shifted—something like frustration, something like worry.
“I texted him,” Jake admitted. “He hasn’t answered.”
My chest tightened. “He’s mad.”
Snapping his gaze back to mine, Bubba shook his head. “No,” he said immediately. “He’s… he’s something, but he’s not mad atyou.”
I wasn’t sure I believed that.
Before I could argue, the door opened again.
Rachel stepped in. The moment she did, Jake whisked my tray away, which was good, I hadn’t even cut into the pork chops yet.
