Page 86 of Landlord Wars
I groaned. “I assume you’re referring to the rats. They’ve been uninvited.”
I sat in the chair beside her bed and reached for her hand, my expression sober. “Elise and I talked about it. You’ll stay with me while I get the house packed. If we do it over the next week before Elise leaves, she can help.”
My mom’s body went very still. “I don’t—”
“Time’s up, Mom. This is for your health. And for the health of me and Elise.”
Her eyes grew watery, and she pressed her fingers to her lips. “I suppose it’s time.”
It was long past time. But a near-death experience was rock bottom, and my mom knew it.
“It’s not safe to live in the house the way it is,” I said. “The doctors told us your stroke was due to high blood pressure. He’s sending you home with a medley of medications, but your lifestyle is unhealthy, Mom.” I swallowed, tears burning behind my eyes. I’d turned into a watering pot lately. I looked up, forcing them back. “I also want you to see a therapist.”
“I know, sweetheart.” She patted my hand, her eyes red, tears spilling over. “It’s hard for me, you know? But I understand.”
My mom sank her head back onto the pillow and stared blankly at the ceiling. “I had hoped I could do it on my own. But I just can’t bring myself to get rid of anything.” She lifted her head and looked at me. “I don’t want to be there when you move it out, okay, honey?”
“I’ll make sure you’re kept busy.” I didn’t know how I’d keep my mom away from the house without her panicking and racing over to rescue everything, but having her stay with me was a good start.
I rose and kissed her cheek. “I’m going to grab a cup of coffee. You need anything?”
She smiled and closed her eyes. “Nothing for me. I’ll just rest a bit. All this lying around is tiring.”
I smiled. Thank goodness she still had her sense of humor.
Head bent, pondering exactly how I’d orchestrate the packing of a hoarder house, I walked out of my mom’s room and nearly ran into Max holding a massive bouquet of violets and yellow roses.
We stood awkwardly just outside my mom’s hospital room.
“Hey,” he said, jamming a hand in his jeans pocket. “How’s your mom?”
The blue eyes I’d thought cold when I met him were all warmth, and they drew me in the way they always had. But there was too much on my plate. Even if my instinct was to run into Max’s arms, I refused to be a part of his world, where they treated me like garbage.
I glanced down and plucked at my skirt, avoiding his eyes. “Better, thank you. She’ll go home tomorrow.” I hesitated, then said, “Thank you. For getting her such good care. I couldn’t have managed it on my own.”
He looked away as though frustrated. “Sophia, I want to be here for you and your family. Always.”
His expression was sincere. I believed him. But it didn’t matter how much I cared about Max. Or even how much he cared for me. I couldn’t be with a man whose entire world didn’t accept me.
Who I was and where I’d come from would never change. My mother might get better, but she’d always be a poor, widowed woman from the Sunset District. These things were fundamental.
And then something occurred to me, and my spine straightened as I remembered the list of rules Max had shoved under the door after I moved in. I didn’t know where things stood with us. Didn’t know where I wanted them to stand. But I wasn’t putting up with any bullshit. I’d already cleared things with Jack.
“My mom is staying with me while she recovers. Jack offered his room, but I told him my mom will sleep in my room with me.”
He nodded thoughtfully.
“I need to get her house cleared out, and it could take more than a week… You don’t have any rules you want to throw at me about overnight guests, do you?”
His mouth turned down. “Are you trying to torture me? I was being an ass when I gave you that list, but I thought we’d moved past that. I want to be with you. What happened at the ball was horrible, and I’ll forever be sorry for my mother’s actions and how I handled things leading up to that moment.”
He glanced down, and when he looked up, I realized how tired he appeared—there were two days of stubble on his jaw, and he was wearing jeans and a long-sleeve Henley instead of his usual dress slacks or suit. Even his hair appeared disheveled. Though I always liked that look on him. Still, this wasn’t like Max.
“I love you, Sophia,” he said, closing his eyes briefly. “I made a mistake in not telling my parents about us sooner, and I wish I could go back and do things differently.”
My heart raced at his words, and the urge to go to him was strong.
Keep it together,I told myself.Don’t be weakened by a remorseful man.Only this felt genuine…
