Page 85 of Brandishing Betrayals

Nico frowned slightly. “She still does shit like that?”

I sighed. “Not as bad as before, but it’s like she can’t help herself. She’ll make a back handed comment about something and it just hits to the bone, you know?”

Nico nodded slowly. “I’m sorry you have to deal with that still.”

I shrugged. “Now that my dad is gone—” I paused to swallow my tears. “She should have more time for her own health. She needs to get back to physical therapy. I need to look into senior ride services to get her out of the house during the day. She can still do things for herself, but she can no longer drive.”

“Let me know what you find out, otherwise we can make the Prospects drive her.”

I barked out a laugh. “Fuck, I’d pay to see that happen!”

“Little Dreamer, you don’t have to pay for shit! I’ll make it happen today, if you want!” Nico grinned.

I just grinned up at him, feeling happier than I had in a long time.

Nico

Later that night, I drove Maya to pick up Luke from day camp. “Hey mom, did you know school starts Wednesday?” Luke asked as he climbed into the back seat of the Civic.

Maya turned fully in her seat to look at him as I pulled away from the pick-up lane. “Fuck,” Maya swore.

I glanced over at her surprised; she usually tried to censor herself in front of Luke.

“I completely forgot! With everything going on, I forgot school was this week! I’m so sorry, honey! We need to get you supplies still!”

“Can we afford that?” Luke asked, his voice lowering as if ashamed about it.

Maya’s face fell and I looked over to see tears welling in her eyes.

“Don’t worry about that,” I said. I smiled broadly and looked up into the rear-view mirror at Luke. “I’ll get the supplies, my treat.”

Luke’s immediate grin had my heart clenching. God, that kid made me happy.

Nico

Later that night, after Luke was tucked in, I held Maya tightly.

“How long have you been having money issues?” I asked. After her near panic attack in the car after we picked up Luke from camp, I had quickly calmed her down, but when she started to cry because Luke had asked if they could afford school supplies, I had to step in.

Luke had quickly perked up when I offered to buy, and Maya, though resigned, seemed grateful. I had even taken them out to dinner—well, breakfast for dinner at Luke’s insistence. Gramma’s Table was a quaint family restaurant near the house and Maya had admitted to wanting to try it since they’d moved in.

Luke had wolfed down a stack of pancakes and sausage links and I had ordered him an omelet afterwards to make sure he wasn’t still hungry. Dude was a growing boy; he needed the calories.

Maya had a smile on her face while she drowned her entire plate, not just her pancakes, in syrup. She even laughed when I called her out.

It had been good a night out and had felt like something a family would do.

I had desperately wanted that. Craved that.

“Since we’ve moved back.” Maya sighed. “I took a huge pay cut to come here. And the small doctor’s office has been great as far as having normal hours and being flexible when I need to leave for Luke or my parents, but they don’t pay anywhere near what I was making at the hospital. And I’ve been helping my parents with their medical bills. My dad’s care was expensive.”

I sighed heavily and hugged her closer. “I wish so much was different, Little Dreamer.”

Maya sighed as well. “Me too, Nic. Me too.” She turned her head into the crook of my neck and drifted off, leaving me wide awake, thinking of all the things that should have been.

Jason

Icouldn’tsettle.Iwastoo keyed up. For days since Maya finally told us the truth, and I’d been on edge, waiting for something, anything to happen. I didn’t know what I expected. Marcos had taken control of everything, and Maya hadn’t uttered one complaint—not that I’d heard.

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