Page 135 of Offside Devil

I know I’m going to be up at least ten times tonight to check on him. Maybe being the one to put him to bed will give me some semblance of peace.

She gives me a tight smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Okay.”

I herd Aiden from the table to the bathroom to brush teeth. He giggles when I pretend he’s on fire and can only be put out with the lavender lotion Mira bought for him. He points to his favorite parts of his books and seems normal.

But when I turn off the light and flip on his nightlight, his little forehead creases in a frown.

“The man kept talking about my mom,” he says softly.

Torture. Endless, painful torture. That’s what that bastard deserves.

“He didn’t mean your mom,” I explain gently. “He was asking about Mira.”

His eyes snap to mine. “Is Mira my mom?”

Fuck. “No. No, she’s not.” I drag a hand through my hair. “That man was confused. He thought Mira was your mom because he doesn’t know us. He shouldn’t have even been there today. I’m sorry that he was.”

He pulls the blankets under his chin. “Who is Mira?”

“Mira is…”

I don’t know how to finish that sentence. Not anymore. Everything is changing too fast. She went from Aiden’s nanny to my fake girlfriend to mine in the matter of a few weeks, and I don’t know what any of it means.

“Mira is Mira,” I finally say. “She’s part of our family and we don’t need to explain that to anyone else.”

That answer is enough for Aiden.

I wish it was enough to quiet the storm in my head.

53

ZANE

As soon as I walk out of Aiden’s room, I walk into Mira’s. But I find it empty.

Same with the living room, and the kitchen, and the balcony.

Finally, I make my way down to the end of the hallway and push open my door. Mira is sitting on the end of the bed. She looks up when I enter, and there are tears streaming down her face.

“I’m sorry,” she sobs. “I didn’t want to be alone.”

I push the door closed. “Don’t apologize.”

I start to move towards her, but she stands up. “No, I have to apologize.” Her hands fist at her sides like she’s clinging to the last scraps of her self-control. “I was distracted today. I wasn’t watching him. I was talking and not paying attention. I let him wander.”

Rachelle already texted and told me not to let Mira blame herself. She said that place was a zoo and it was hard to keep track of all of the kids. It could have happened to anyone.

“Evan checked things out before you went in, Mira. He told me he thought it was safe.”

She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. It was my job to watch him, and I didn’t. And it’s okay that you’re mad at me. I get it. He’s your son, and I put him in danger.”

A disbelieving laugh rushes out of me. “What?”

She blinks up at me, and I didn’t think the Wednesday Addams I met in that coffee shop weeks ago could ever look so innocent. She’s bare-faced and her eyes are red-rimmed from crying. Sometime after I went into Aiden’s room, she put on my shirt from the other night. The sleeves are rolled and loose around her wrists.

I grab her hands and pull her close. “When I found out what happened, the first thought in my head was whether Aiden and you were okay. I was worried about both of you.”

She thrusts out her chin. “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

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