“¿Y qué?I threw it all away?”
“No,Mami,” I sigh. “You got hurt. You got hurt, and you let it take over your whole life. You lost your career, but I wasstill here.”
“I didn’t just lose my job, Avalon. I lost my leg! I was wheelchair-bound for months. I was moments away from becoming the first female fire captain at Firehouse fifty-one, and one night changed that forever. I lost my leg, then your dad, then my parents. I lost everything. I don’t know what you wanted from me.”
“I wanted to be enough, Mom, because in all that loss, you still had me. Through every fuck up and mistake, I was with you through it all.”
“I’m sorry that me losing my leg and all the pain that came with it after my accident ruinedyourlife.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. She doesn’t get it. She’ll never get it. It’ll always be the victim card with her. For years, I let her get away with it. But now I’m standing across from the woman who stole thousands of dollars from me, and she’s finding a way to avoid taking the blame.
“No, Mami, lo siento,” I begin, and I’m sure a small smile pulls at the corner of her lips because she thinks she got her way again. But not this time. “I’m sorry it took me this long to realize I lost you a long time ago.”
The smile fades.
“I hope all that money was worth it because now you really have lost everything.”
eleven
Zeke
Idon’t think I’ve ever slept through the night. I typically wake up at least two or three times to check my phone and make sure I didn’t miss any messages about my mom.
But I didn’t wake up once.
Last night was the kind of night I don’t even remember closing my eyes. I was in bed staring at the ceiling, and now I’m staring at my pillow.
I roll over, expecting to see Avalon lying beside me, but she’s not.
“Avalon?” My voice is groggy, but she'd hear me if she were in here. I guess it makes sense she’s not in here, though, because where else would she be if she were not in my bed?
I push myself out of bed and notice her clothes are no longer scattered across my floor.
She left.
I didn’t expect us to go and get breakfast or anything, but I thought she’d at least let me drive her home.
And it kind of stings… her not being here. I don’t know why it stings, but it does. It’s not like I expected us to fall in love after last night. We’re on the same page about relationships.
We don’t do them.
However, if sex with her is always like that, I might have to reconsider.
I’ve never been drained after having sex. Well, I guess technically, if you’re notdrainedafter having sex, you’re not doing it right, but I’m drained in every sense. Yet in the best way possible.
Maybe she’s downstairs waiting for me to wake up. Maybe she’s rummaging through our kitchen to see if anything interests her.
Or maybe, just maybe, she snuck out the first chance she got—
Which ruins my plans for a quickie before the weight room. I guess it’s for the best, though; I probably wouldn’t have had the energy to lift after another round with her.
I throw on my hoodie and head downstairs to get some breakfast. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, some of the guys are staring at the front door.
“Morning, boys.” I walk straight to the fridge to grab some orange juice.
“Have fun last night?” Declan’s eyes leave the door and find me.
“I did.” I take a swig straight from the carton. “What are you guys looking at?”