Page 9 of Mended Hearts

Mama, you awake?

Long minutes passed without a ‘read’notification.

The longer I stared at the screen like a pot refusing to boil, the harder my heartbeat drummed in my ears.

Juniper Rhodes might’ve been certifiable for havingtwelvekids, but the woman bent over backward to be there for us.

If she was awake, she would’ve gotten back to me already.

Before I’d really thought it through, I palmed at my cheeks and backed out of my parking spot, instinctively heading toward the boujee part of the city where Alice and Greyson lived across from Ollie and his kids.

The brilliant nepotistic real estate hoarders had bought up the whole neighborhood—their Nona, uncle, and cousins all owned plots in one ridiculously ostentatious subdivision thatHome and Gardenwould drool over.

But it was the row of meticulously manicured drives that somehow soothed my heart when I finally pulled onto their oceanfront road.

One glance at Greyson and Alice’s dark windows, and I winced internally.

It was eight o’clock, and Alice had been passing out early ever since the event-that-shall-not-be-discussed.

She’d sustained a concussion in addition to broken bones, and needed her rest.

Greyson would scold me if I accidentally woke her.

If you still think mama bears are terrifying, you clearly haven’t seen Greyson fuss over my sister.

With a sigh, I turned into Ollie’s driveway and parked in front of his massive garage.

The kids fought bedtime like Americans fought the last draft.

But it was a school night.

And I was... I wasspiraling.

The lights finally automatically turned off by the time I lifted my head to look at the house.

Dimly lit. A soft blue flicker made me think someone was watching TV in the living room past the foyer.

I’d been here every day for the last two weeks.

At some point, before school or after, I’d managed to sneak in a visit to check on Tillie, and give Ollie shit.

But if I told him what happened, he’d scramble to fix it.

He’d try to offer me cash or some equally insulting billionaire gesture, and I was a bad bitch who absolutely did not need saving.

I’d figure it out.

I always figured it out.

Even if I had no idea what that looked like this time.

Even if that was utterly terrifying.

It could be worse.

I could still be in a hospital bed.

It was the vibration of my cell in the cup holder that finally snapped me out of my shell-shocked state.

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