Page 56 of One Forbidden Moment

Chapter 21

Moe

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Moe stepped throughthe automatic doors, forcing himself to breathe through his mouth.The overpowering smell of disinfectant and something floral failed to cover up the scent of death.He'd never been inside a nursing home until he came with Jillian.Never had a reason.His own childhood had been a revolving door of neglect, fists, and silence.Nobody in his life had ever lived long enough or loved hard enough to end up somewhere like this.

But Jillian worked here.And Jillian's mother lived here.And that meant he was walking in because he wanted to be with her.

He carried the two motorcycle helmets in one hand, the bag rustling against his leg as he moved down the hallway.He'd picked them up from Finn earlier, using the cash Jillian had pressed into his palm before she left for work.She'd smiled when she gave it to him, like she already knew he'd do something with it.Something good.

He wanted to surprise her.Take her home on the Harley.Show her he'd learned the laws had changed since he lived here.Helmets were required now.Finn had explained it all to him, shaking his head at Moe's story about the cops chasing him.Apparently, he wasn't allowed to ride bare-headed anymore.If the cops caught him without a helmet, they'd chase him.

Moe had grunted, embarrassed.He'd thought they were after him for the murders he committed years ago.Thought he was on the run again.Turned out he was just breaking a law he didn't know existed.

But all of that could wait.

Right now, he needed to find Jillian.The woman at the desk recognized him and waved him through.He followed the sound of soft voices down the hall until he reached a doorway.He didn't step inside, but he stood in the frame, quiet, unseen.

Jillian sat beside her mother's bed, holding her mother's hand gently between both of hers.Her mother stared at her with wide, confused eyes, like she was trying to place Jillian's face but couldn't find the memory it belonged to.

"Mom," Jillian whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her mother's forehead."It's me.It's Jillian."

Her mother blinked."You're...very kind."

Jillian's smile trembled."Thank you."

A hard, sharp ache twisted in Moe's chest.He'd never seen Jillian look fragile.She was strong, resilient, and stubborn.But here, sitting beside a woman who didn't know her own daughter, she looked like she was breaking quietly, piece by piece.

Her mother touched Jillian's cheek with trembling fingers."You remind me of someone."

Jillian swallowed."Who?"

"My daughter," her mother whispered."She used to visit me."

Jillian's breath hitched, and she held her mother's hand tighter, like she could hold them both inside a memory that wasn't there anymore.

Moe's throat burned.

He didn't know what it was like to have a mother who loved you.He didn't know what it was like to lose one slowly.But watching Jillian sit there, giving her mother every ounce of tenderness she had, hurt him in a way he couldn't explain.

Her mother smiled faintly."You're a good girl."

Jillian leaned forward and kissed her mother's knuckles."I learned from the best."