Page 83 of Always Say Yes to a Dragon

“Are you at home? I’m going to come pick you up.” I motioned to Az, who gave the driver the address.

“No, don’t interrupt your trip for me. Just leave your key under the mat.”

My new place was a lot safer than my old place, but I couldn’t leave a key under the mat and call it good. Plus, I needed to know why my mom was calling me in tears.

“It’s fine, I’ll come get you.” I hung up before she could keep arguing with me. She’d just deny she was crying. We’d be at her place in a few minutes, and she wouldn’t be able to evade my questions as easily in person.

The town car had barely slowed to a stop in the parking lot before I jumped out and careened toward the front door of Mama’s apartment. A muffled sound told me Az was on my heels.

I opened it to shuffling coming from the bedroom and Mama screaming, “Stole?You think youstolethat asshole? Bitch, you can have him.”

In the bedroom, Mama was throwing stuff in her suitcase, phone pressed to her ear. “Fuck both y’all.” She tossed her phone on the bed.

Fuck. I didn’t need a calculator to dothismath. “Oh, Mama.”

Mama whirled around, cheekbones flushed, eyes flashing. As soon as she caught sight of me, her shoulders hunched.

“Baby, no. Go on your trip. I’ll be fine.”

I grabbed the nearest pile of clothes and started folding. “Tell me.”

“I found messages on Dwayne’s phone.” She threw her makeup bag into the suitcase. “Some hussy he met at a bar. Seems he wasn’t getting as much overtime as he said.”

“Your boyfriend was unfaithful?” Az’s voice rumbled from outside the bedroom door, disgust dripping from every word.

Mama gasped. “Shit. Sorry. You were leaving. Please, go have fun. I’ll manage.”

“I’m not going to leave you like this.” I stuffed the clothes into her suitcase.

“I don’t want to mess up your weekend. Just give me your key and go on.” Her country accent was as thick as I’d ever heard it.

I glanced at Az, who hovered awkwardly in the doorway.

“Elle can’t ‘go have fun’ when you’re upset.” Az stepped into the room.

“Right. I’m not just going to disappear when you’re upset. Also, um, I’ll need to clear you with the doorman.” She hadn’t visited me at my new apartment yet. She claimed she was busy, but I think the fact that I had an apartment so fancy it had a doorman made her nervous.

That same doorman could keep Dwayne out.

“The doorman.” Her eyebrows drew together. “Right.”

“Consider it done.” Az pulled out his phone and tapped a few buttons. “I’ll have someone come over to help you pack your things and carry them over.”

I shot him a grateful look.

Mama continued to protest that we should leave her in tear-stained distress, but we helped her pack until a few of Az’zael’s “people” showed up. The packing went a lot faster after that. When we had Mama bundled into a car, I leaned in to whisper, “Take a few days to yourself, and we’ll figure something out when I get back.”

Mama had been insistent that I not skip my trip. She didn’t want me to make a bad impression on Az’zael’s parents, although, since we were already showing up late, that seemed like a given.

“Okay, baby.” Mama glanced at Az. “He really is a good man.”

I nodded.

With Mama taken care of, Az and I settled back into the town car.

“Thank you,” I said, snuggling close to him.

He wrapped an arm around me. “Whatever you need.”

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