Page 128 of Mr. Almost

I almost lost my girl.

Mason brought her back to me, though. He’s apologized time and time again, claiming that his mother’s actions are his fault, despite the fact that I keep telling him her actions were hers alone. His mother had it out for me from the moment she laid eyes on me.

Turns out she was crazier than we thought. She paid Marigold, the woman from the day care, to let her take Ari without a trace. Marigold is in jail, awaiting trial.

I wish I could say the same for his mother. They have her locked up in a state mental hospital. Apparently she lost her shit in jail. Even though she claims she is not insane, her lawyer had her involuntarily registered. If she ever recovers, she will be formally charged, but until then, she is there with no sign of release.

The public fallout from this has been over the top. You wouldthink the president murdered someone with the way the media is reporting on it every second. Mason has been working round the clock trying to get everything calmed down, yet at the same time he has still made time to be here with us. I’m beyond grateful for him.

That’s why I left him upstairs in bed, sleeping. He deserves a little rest.

Arianna is determined to drive me up a wall, though. It’s been a month since everything went down, yet she is acting like nothing happened.

The therapist says this is normal, and that she is still processing everything. The first week she had nightmares, but they’ve started to subside. It helps that every time she has one, Mason is right there to hold her until she falls back asleep. The bond between them has only grown since this whole ordeal.

It doesn’t help my anxiety knowing she wants to get back to normal, though. I don’t think I’m ready to let her out of my sight. I haven’t even been going into work unless Mason can stay with her.

He’s hired security for her and all, but I can’t trust a stranger to care for her. I did that once, and they basically sold her. No, she is better off here at home with me.

“Good morning, Bug.” I gently wake her. “You ready for breakfast?”

She blinks her little eyes open, looking up at me all sleepily.

“Waffles?” she mutters.

“I can make waffles. Go to the bathroom and meet me in the kitchen.”

I kiss her head, hugging her a little closer before letting her go.

“Love you, Bug.”

She mumbles something that sounds likelove youas she goes to the bathroom. I make my way into the kitchen and take out the ingredients I need to make waffles. When Ari finally makes it to the kitchen, I’m already working on my first batch.

“Did you brush your teeth?”

“Yes.” She lays her head on the table as she stares at me.

“What do you want to drink this morning? Orange juice or apple?”

“Milkshake,” she grumbles.

I sigh. She’s been testing boundaries again. I know it’s my fault. Those first few days, I would jump to give her anything she asked for. I was so grateful to have her back that I didn’t care if she should have it or not. I wanted her to be happy.

Now that more time has passed, I’ve been setting the rules again. Only this time, they are a little different. A little stricter.

“You know ice cream isn’t allowed. If you don’t choose, I’ll give you water.”

She huffs. “Apple juice.”

I pour her some into a cup and take it to her. Then I go back and pull the waffle from the iron. After cutting it into bite-sized pieces, I slather butter on top, then add syrup. To keep it healthy, I put some berries on top.

“Here you go, Bug,” I tell her, sliding the plate in front of her before going back to make my own.

We eat in silence. My bug isn’t the best morning person. Considering I never was until I had her, I don’t blame her.

Once we are done, I take the dishes to the sink.

“Go get changed, and then we can decide what to do today.”

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