Page 107 of Savagely Yours
I agreed that Larke was adorable at times.
Gorgeous, always.
And sexy as fuck.
I had Wade watching Neal, and so far, I hadn’t received any updates that made me think I had to go running. Still, I was starting to get a twisting sort of discomfort in my midsection that I could never quite discern whether it meant, “Larke is in danger,” or “You need to be inside Larke in the next ten minutes.”
Mae released my hand and headed to where the strawberry platter lay. I followed, my footsteps tentative as if I expected them to be covered in something other than chocolate.
“Strawberry?” she offered.
I shot her a look.
She giggled. “You’re so easy. We’re both adults now, Dezzie. You’re old enough now to know where babies come from.”
“Are you really not leaving with me and Larke? I love you, Mae. I don’t want to be out there while you’re in here.”
She sat and patted the chair next to her. I took a seat, already not liking where this was headed. I already knew what she was about to say, and it wasn’t the first time we’d had this conversation.
“Dr. Lin has been helping me live as comfortably as possible in here, but I’m still sick, sweet pea,” she said. “Even if the world was still as it was, it wouldn’t change much. You know that. I’ve told you that. The time I’ve had has been good. The time waiting for me, I’m going to make even better.”
I leaned against the back of the chair. “I know.”
“Plus, it runs in the family. Although it doesn’t start showing until we’re past fifty, you still need to be careful.”
My lips parted.
“And don’t argue with me. I said what I said.”
“What would you need?” I asked. “You’ve told me about this before. It’s hereditary, and it’s a type of fibrosis, right? We could find you oxygen.”
I knew I was being impossible.
Mae’s best bet was inside these walls.
Even if this new location in South Carolina had better options than Totten, it would make the most sense for me to confirm that first and then come back for her. One slip-up on our journey, and I would put her in more harm than Cerner and Neal ever could.
I blinked back the same tears I kept at bay the first time I had to leave her. It was after I received my ship date, and I’d waited until I was on the bus, face hidden, before letting them fall.
“Mae, we might never see each other again. Before, I could go two or three years without seeing you because I knew where you were. I could hear your voice. I won’t be able to do that once I leave here.”
She nodded. “I know, baby.”
“So what do I do?”
“You take your wife away from this place.”
“And leave you behind?”
“Dezzie, you’ve never told me you love me.”
“But I do,” I argued. “I always have. That’s not debatable. I just have a lot of extra attachment-related shit—stuffthat I’m dealing with.Sorry.”
“You can say what you want out there. You’re a grown man now, and I can acknowledge that...out there.” She flicked her fingers at the door, then the windows. “But, with me, I want to see the boy I raised.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And Dezzie, I know you love me. I’ve always known, but you’ve never said it. Not like you did earlier. Baby, you’re in love, and it’s a good love. A real love. So, it doesn’t matter what I tell you. I could tell you to stay. You’re going to go where Larke goes.”
