Page 114 of Mended Hearts

What if she woke up tomorrow, decided this life—me, my name, my family—was too much, and disappeared? Back to Mistyvale. Or to Florida. Or anywhere this wouldn’t be front-page news.

Anywhere our baby would grow up safe from the shadow of the Hart legacy.

Anywhere but here.

Fuck, it might kill me.

I hustled to sidestep her, rushing ahead to open the door, and slipped my hand into hers. Relief rippled through me when her fingers threaded into mine without hesitation. We walked the three blocks in a simmering silence, unspoken thoughts bubbling just beneath the surface.

I needed to hit the gym. Or go for a drive. Or call my therapist. Preferably all three.

After helping Leighton into the car, I rounded the hood and slid behind the wheel of the Bentley, the purr of the engine offering a small sliver of comfort. Maybe the road under rubber would help clear my head.

But SoCal traffic had other plans. Within minutes, we were locked in bumper-to-bumper hell, and every inch of me itched to move.

I was drumming out a beat on the steering wheel when she cleared her throat. “Say something.”

“Just... thinking.”

“What are you thinking about?” Her voice was soft, cautious. The hesitation in her tone only deepened my self-loathing. I forced a smile and glanced her way as the sun glared off the back of a chrome-painted Tesla in front of us.

God, who the hell thought mirrored paint jobs were a good idea?

“Ollie?”

I exhaled slowly. “Just processing,” I echoed back.

“Are we okay? You believe me, right?”

I was such an asshole.

“Yeah, baby,” I breathed, shoulders deflating as I finally met her eyes. “We’re okay.”

“You seem... angry.”

“Just frustrated with traffic, Trouble.”

“Okay.” But the way she said it made it clear she didn’t buy a word of it. I flipped through the radio stations, but everything grated on my nerves, so I shut it off altogether. Which, in hindsight, was a mistake—now we were alone with nothing but engine hum and tension.

“Can I do anything?” she asked gently.

“I’m fine.” A lie. I was agoddamn mess.The family fuck-up. The guy Grey would, yet again, have to clean up after. But saying all that out loud sounded like too many words for my brain to relay, so I just forced another smile and kept driving.

“You look like you sat in something unpleasant,” she muttered.

The unexpected laugh burst out of me before I could stop it.

“There’s my man.”

That landed like a balm straight to my chest. “Your man, huh?”

“I mean... unless you’ve changed your mind.”

“I haven’t,” I said quickly. Because if there was anything I was sure of, it was her. This woman beside me? She wrecked me. In the best possible way.

“Okay, well, that’s good.” Another silence. Heavier this time. “Tuning each other out doesn’t exactly bode well for this whole relationship slash co-parenting thing, though. Can we talk about whatever’s got your face pinched like you bit into a lemon?”

“There’s just... a lot to think through.”

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