Page 97 of Renegade Ruin

She scoffs playfully. “Absolutely not.”

“You’re sneaky. I like it.”

“Just like you, I take care of what’s mine. Which is why I have to ask—is it serious?”

I force out a strangled laugh that shreds my heart. “No. Bishop isn’t ready for serious. We have an agreement to help each other when the world feels like too much. That’s it.”

It’s not a lie, but it’s not the whole truth—that I absolutely wish it was serious.

Lana gives me a skeptical look but doesn’t push. “I’m happy he has you. Even if it is just for right now. He seems like he’s doing better.”

“He is,” I reassure her.

She nods toward the spare bedroom at the end of the hall where her granddaughter is getting ready for the day. “Enough to care for Phoebe?”

I nod without hesitation.

Bishop hasn’t wanted to talk about Jackson and Norah’s wish for him to take Phoebe since he let it slip, and I haven’t pushed for him. But little comments he’s made here and there when he updates me on the lack of progress in Jackson’s condition let me know he’s taking the request seriously. He wants to do better, not only for himself, but for Phoebe.

“He adores that little girl, but more than that, he loves your son and he would do anything to protect them.”

My words bring Lana’s smile to life, and I swear she’s about to let another round of tears fall. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

My heart cracks at her statement, opening in a way I didn’t anticipate. I’ve been so focused on the short game when it comes to Bishop—getting him through spring training, fighting to make sure his next breath is easier than the last—I haven’t even considered the long game beyond him playing for the Renegades.

What comes next?

Opening day will be here in two and a half weeks.

Then we go back to the real world, where he’ll become Phoebe’s primary guardian and his entire life will change. Again. He’ll be responsible for homework and school plays. Will he even want to play for the Renegades anymore when he’sessentially a full-time parent? Is that why he brought up Stone becoming a dad at sixteen and still making it to the majors?

“Slow down, Willow.” Lana’s voice pulls me back to my kitchen island.

“Huh?” I mutter in her direction.

“I can see your brain working a million miles a minute.” Lana chuckles. “Care to share with the class?”

“It’s nothing,” I say with a resigned exhale.

Her gaze narrows, and she crosses her arms over her chest. “I raised Jackson as my son. He’s the king of overthinking. I know the symptoms when I see them.”

I roll my eyes, which only makes Lana’s smile grow. “It’s nothing. I’m just trying to figure out what comes next for the team.”

She chuckles. “You mean what comes next for you and Bishop.”

Nothing gets past her. But I can’t confirm that.

“Nothing comes next for us.”

Lana sets down her cup of coffee and rounds the corner of the island, stopping behind me. She places her hands on my shoulders and gives me a tight squeeze. “You both have been through so much. Too much, if you ask me. Enjoy your time together and worry about the rest later. Life’s too short as it is.”

There’s whimsy in her voice, and I want to ask how she can possibly have so much hope in a world that is hell-bent on breaking us. Instead, I sink against her forearm and savor encouragement.

“Thank you, Lana.”

“Anytime, my dear.”

Her advice clings to my soul with a white-knuckled grip.

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