Page 193 of When a Soul Cries

“You lost your apartment, your car, your job and damn near everything you owned. Give yourself a minute.”

“I’ve had a minute.”

“You’ve had a week.”

I stood.

“And during that week, you’ve paid for everything.”

His expression changed.

“That bothering you?”

“Yes, Rome. It is.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m a grown woman with a child!”

Halo startled slightly at my voice.

I immediately lowered it.

“I can’t live in your house, wear clothes you bought, eat your food, let you pay for everything and just…exist.”

Rome carefully placed Halo on the floor with her toys before standing.

“Why not?”

“Because that’s not taking care of myself.”

“You think accepting help means you’re not taking care of yourself?”

“I think depending on a man I barely know to support me and my daughter is a bad fucking plan.”

He stared at me.

Fair.

I could tell from his face he knew it too.

But the part I didn't say was that depending on a man I was beginning to have feelings for sounded even more dangerous.

Because if everything belonged to him—the house, the money, the security—and then I let my heart belong to him too, what the hell would I have left if it all disappeared?

“I’m not asking you to depend on me forever.”

“But you haven’t asked me for anything.”

“Why do I have to?”

“Because nobody just does all this for nothing.”

The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

Rome went still.

I looked away.