Page 106 of Muse (Fighting Fate)

A small gasp came from the doorway. “That’s naughty, Jace!”

Ruby’s little voice cut me.

“It was an accident princess. He didn’t mean it,” I heard Aiden say.

“Mommy’s not gonna be happy,” she said in a sing-song voice.

“Yeah, I think you’re right, little one. Mommy’s going to be pretty cranky.”

She sighed and I heard Aiden lift her up. “I don’t want Jace to get into trouble.” I could imagine the little pout she’d have on her lips when she said that. “We could stick a picture over the hole…? Mommy won’t know it’s there then.”

Her protectiveness was killing me. I was fucking this all up.

A little hand softly touched my arm. “Don’t cry, Jace. I’ll tell Mommy I did it. She won’t yell at me.”

I looked up at her. “I’m not crying, baby.” But I wanted too. I reached for her and she came without pause. “It’s okay. You should always face up to your mistakes. I’ll tell Mommy I’m sorry and she can yell at me all she wants.”

She looked up at me with her bright green eyes wide and vulnerable. “Okay.” Wrapping her little arms around my neck, she squeezed hard. “I love you, Jace,” she whispered in my ear.

“Love you too, munchkin.” Putting her back down, I kissed the top of her head. “You go back and watch the fairies now, okay?”

“Okay.”

I watched her run off before thumping my head back against the wall.

“Man, you seriously need to invest in a punching bag – preferably one in each room…”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “I feel like I’m losing my fucking mind.”

He sighed and leant against the wall next to me. I knew he didn’t really know what to do with me. I’d never been even remotely emotional the whole time we’d known each other. Dean was the one we expected this kind of shit from.

Leaving my forehead against the wall, I punched the wall beside me, but this time not hard enough to dent. “I shouldn’t have fucking let her go to school by herself. I knew us dating would be a big fucking deal. What kind of fucked up boyfriend does that? I fed her to the fucking wolves.”

I saw him shake his head out the corner of my eye. “Fuck, man. Mia’s a big girl. I spoke to her Monday morning before I left and she was fine. She knew what to expect and she was okay with that. She was actually happy that she didn’t have to hide and pretend anymore.”

I groaned. “I still should’ve been there to protect her from venomous bitches like Melissa. I knew she wouldn’t leave it alone. Fuck, half those girl scare me!”

I turned and slid down the wall, sitting with my knees bent and my arms resting on top of them. Aiden followed me down. “Look, man, Mia will come around. I know she will, and I know you’re probably sick of hearing it, but she just needs time. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, last week was the happiest I’ve ever seen her. I want to see her like that again, and if it’s you that does that for her, then I’m all for it.”

With my jaw clenched, I nodded. I couldn’t manage anything else. It meant a fucking lot to me that he felt that way. “I’ll never give up on her. If she never remembers, I’ll just make her fall in love with me again.”

I glanced across at him and saw a smirk play on his lips. “Piece of cake.”

My gaze turned to a glare. “You have no fucking idea…”

“I have maybe a little bit of an idea.”

Chapter 52

Mia

For a place that had been my home since the day I was born, it didn’t feel right. For the first time ever, it felt like it was missing something.

I wandered around, lost, wondering what it could possibly be.

It wasn’t until I was sitting on the edge of my bed, gazing around at my familiar surroundings, that I realized it wasn’t the house. It was me. Something about me didn’t feel right.

Thinking about it, I’d really been like that since yesterday. Since Jace had come to see me at the hospital. I’d thought what he’d said had broken something inside me, but the truth was, the instant he’d left, I felt like he’d taken a part of me with him. I felt incomplete.

---