Page 121 of My Secret Bandit

He leaned back, eyes red and cheeks stained.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you. I just—I needed you.”

Wiping the tears from his cheeks, I placed light kisses on each one.

“I’m here now. It’s okay.”

A nervous flutter entered my belly as he hugged me tighter. Carrying me over to the couch, he sat with me still wrapped in his arms. Unsure of where to go from here, I held him close to soothe his cries.

“Amelia,” I choked. This was what I’d been most afraid of. We all knew there was a chance she wouldn’t make it home to her daughter. “Does she know?”

A subtle shake of his head gave me my answer. “They’re going to wait until tomorrow.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” I asked.

“Please.” He nodded as more tears spilled to his chin, leaving me feeling even more heartbroken than I had these last two months.

“Come on. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

Physically exhausted and mentally drained, Mateo let me lead him upstairs. Our bodies never left each other as we settled into the bed we used to share.

He pulled me into his body, holding me tightly, almost as if he needed to ensure I wouldn’t slip away.

“Thank you, Jameson,” he whispered as his eyes fell closed. “I love you.”

New tears spilled onto the pillowcase as I watched him fall further to sleep.

My heart ached for him.

For Amelia and his parents.

Everything that happened between Mateo and I before didn’t matter.

This.

Being his support was way more important than an unfortunate slip of the tongue or an argument brought on by frayed nerves and frustration.

I struggled to get out of bed the next morning. My head pounded from an overload of stress and emotions. My only motivation was the man already sitting on the edge of the bed. Crawling over, I wrapped my arms around his neck.

His warm hands covered mine, his head turning to kiss the arm near his mouth.

Conversation was minimal as we prepared for the day.

Xander pulled into the driveway as we were leaving. Bleary-eyed and silent, he slipped into Mateo’s car after giving us both tight, lingering hugs.

The hour-long drive drug on like four. No one in the mood to talk or use music to fill the space.

From the back seat, I sat forward. My hand found Mateo’s along the center console. I needed to feel him, touch him, let him know I was by his side. I think he needed that too as his fingers interlaced with mine, squeezing and the tension in his shoulders loosened by a fraction.

When we pulled up to his parents’ and a fresh wave of helplessness washed over me.

Was I ready to do this?

Ready to face the barely healed memories of losing my own mother?

If it meant helping Amelia through this, then yeah. I had no choice but to be ready.

Inside, the smell of fresh coffee met us, but nothing else.

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