harley
After getting home late, we all camped out in the living room. Maverick almost had to leave, but managed to secure last-minute care for Duke thanks to Millie. He stretched out on one couch while I took over the other with Aria passed out on my chest. At one point, I found Maverick’s hand as it hung off the couch in his sleep and slipped my fingers through his. Was it the most comfortable? Absolutely not. But it was the easiest way to keep both of my favorite people close.
I spent most of the night in and out of it. Whenever I woke, I anxiously checked her breathing because I had to. More than once, she panicked and woke up sobbing, and I did my best to console her.
Every time she moved, I woke up. Every time she sighed in her sleep, I woke up. Every time she did anything… I woke up.
By mid-morning when both of them stirred, I felt like complete shit in that nauseous-need-sleep kind of way. Eventually, I’d catch up, and that was all I could hope for.
“Hey.” I brushed away the hair hiding her face. Those big blue eyes blinked at me slowly as I touched her cheek. There were still faint red splotches on her skin, but they’d gone down significantly. That was a good sign. “How are you feeling?”
She let out a grunt.
“That good?” I asked.
Another grunt.
“Can I get one word, please?”
“Fine,” she mumbled and buried her face in my chest.
“Thank you,” I replied as I leaned in to kiss the crown of her head.At least it was something.I glanced over at Maverick, who offered me a sleepy smile. “You good?”
“I’ll let you know when I stand up,” he said with a chuckle that I felt in my soul. My back wasn’t made for sleeping on couches. “I’m thinking… I run out and get us coffee and muffins? That way, we don’t have to cook?”
“I’m not hungry,” Aria muttered into my chest.
“Maybe you can munch on some cereal?” I suggested. “We can put on a movie? Eat in front of the TV?”
“Can Maverick stay?” she asked.
“I won’t go anywhere,” he said. “We have coffee here.”
My phone buzzed on the floor, and I swiped blindly for it.Peaceful Pines.I needed to take the call and deal with whateverthey wanted from me. I already had three accumulated messages from them.
“Hey, little love,” I whispered, giving her a small nudge. “I need to get up.”
“No,” Aria grumped and burrowed in closer.
“Come here, spooky queen.” Maverick held his arms out as he sat up a bit on the opposite couch. I shifted her weight around and stood up with her, her arms wrapping around my neck.
“I’ll be back. I promise,” I said. I handed her off to Maverick, where she instantly melted into his chest. Only once I was positive she was comfortable with her blanket and Sir Bites-a-lot did I head into the kitchen. By then, the call had gone to voicemail, leaving me to call Margaret Fletcher’s personal line back.
“Mr. Lowell,” she answered almost instantly. “I appreciate you calling me back.”
“I apologize, Ms. Fletcher,” I said with a sigh. “I had a family emergency yesterday. That’s why I didn’t call back. But it’s fine… I’m calling you back now, so what can I do for you?”
“There’s no easy way to tell you this, Mr. Lowell,” she began in a way that told me she was picking her words carefully. I paused and leaned back against the counter, frowning. “Your mother passed away yesterday morning.”
The world stopped. I’d heard her wrong. Right?
“What?”
“Your mother passed away yesterday morning, Mr. Lowell,” Margaret repeated. She said the words a little slower and with more kindness, as if I were some fragile thing she was afraid would break. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Maybe I was going to break because my mind couldn’t wrap around the words she was saying.
“H… how?”
