Page 24 of Rebel

“I’m sorry, I must have misdialed. I’m looking for Mrs. Mulberry.” Or maybe it was the right number, and she had a young lover. She said she had no family in state, after all.

“I’m Neil and Helena is my aunt. She’s in the hospital.”

“Oh no! What happened, I mean if you’re comfortable sharing?” My heart raced as I listened to him speak blandly about her mild heart attack. “Is she going to be all right?”

“They expect she’ll make a full recovery.”

“That’s good. It’s just so hard to believe, she seems so young at heart, you know?”

“Not really,” he shrugged. “We’re not as close as we should be.”

Obviously. “Please send her our best wishes and let me know if there’s anything she needs.”

“I will. And thank you.”

I ended the call feeling horrible that Mrs. Mulberry had such a scare, but then I started panicking. My show was due to start soon—really soon—and I didn’t have any backup childcare. “Livvy, put your shoes on, please!” I had no idea what I would do, yet, but I had a fifteen-minute drive to figure it out. Worst case scenario I could make one of the interns or production assistants keep an eye on her during the show, but that wasn’t ideal. They were strangers to her, and I had no clue if any of them were capable of caring for a child.

“We goin’ somewhere Mommy?” Her bright, excited smile never failed to make my heart skip a beat, even if her eyes were identical to her father’s.

“Yep. Mommy has to get to work, and Mrs. Mulberry is sick.”

“I’ll make her a card. She loves my cards!” Livvy was halfway up the stairs before my words stopped her.

“Later, Livvy. Mommy really has to get going and you’re coming with me until I figure something out.”

She gasped as she rushed back down the staircase as quickly as her little legs could carry her. “Can I be on the radio too?”

“We’ll see.” I guided her to the driveway where my car was parked, loaded her up along with a bag of snacks and kiddie entertainment, and headed to the station.

This is what you get for not expanding your circle, Nikki.

Yeah, it was my own damn fault for not fostering more friendships, particularly those with other moms. But single moms were too busy for friendships, and moms in relationships weren’t too eager to have a single friend around for… reasons. It was still my fault but nothing I could change in the next fifteen minutes.

There was one real option, but I was reluctant as hell to pull the trigger on it, even if it was the most logical and safest option. But there was another consideration, and that was the fact that I hadn’t told Logan the truth yet. The more time he and Livvy spent together the more likely it was that he’d figure out the truth before I found my courage to tell him—but right now I needed his help more than anything else.

The phone rang four times before he picked it up. “Nikki. Is everything all right?” The concern in his voice only confirmed that this was the right move. Logan was a biker, sure, but he was a good man who felt the need to keep us safe.

I could do this.“Um, hey Logan. We’re safe but I, god I can’t even believe I’m about to ask you this.”

“Ask me anything Nikki.” The words rolled off his tongue with ease.

“I need your help,” I said and launched into a too-long tale about Mrs. Mulberry, her heart, and negligent nephew as I pulled into the radio station. “To make a long story even longer,I need someone to look after Livvy while I’m on air. And I’m asking you to do it.”

He was silent for a long time before he finally spoke. “I’m headed back to your house now.”

I wanted to ask why because for just a moment I actually forgot that he was my shadow, going everywhere I went because of a very pissed off biker gang. “We’re actually at the station. I’m running late. Can you come here? Please?”

“Be there in less than ten,” he replied and ended the call.

I wanted to be upset about that, but I figured it was hard to talk on the phone on a motorcycle. “Let’s go kiddo.”

“Where the hell have you been,” Mia asked the moment I stepped off the elevator.

“Nanny had a mild heart problem,” I answered in an upbeat tone while Livvy took in the new sights.

Mia’s eyes went wide. “Oh shit.”

“Yep, Logan is on his way here.”

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