Page 96 of Three of a Kind

I can’t tell if I’m picking up on her misery or I’m just exhausted and overwhelmed to the point it’s making me freeze when I should be tackling this problem.

“I want my bed, Mommy.” Her entire face gets even redder, and fat tears spill down her cheeks.

My own eyes throb as I try to find something to distract her with.

“Am I missing the slumber party?” Maverick asks, leaning in the doorway.

“No,” Libby says, pointing at the door.

“Uh-oh.” Maverick grimaces. “Did I upset you?”

“I wanna go home,” she says, sniffling.

“Aww.” He swaggers over with his pajama pants hanging low on his hips and his tattoos on full display. “I bet you do miss the apartment. I remember how sad I was when my family moved out of our first house.” He kneels on the edge of the bed and moves to sit next to her. “Do you like having Nova and Haze around?”

Her nose wrinkles, like she has no idea where this conversation is going. She finally huffs, “Yes.”

“They like being around you too,” he says, booping her nose. “But we can’t have the dogs in Mommy’s old apartment. They don’t allow pets.”

“Why?” Libby asks, frowning.

“Nova and Haze are big dogs. They need more space than the apartment has. Also, the rules say dogs can’t live there.”

“Why?” she asks again.

“See, dogs need a lot of exercise, especially the breed of dog they are. That’s why Gunner and I have to take them out for a run twice a day. Otherwise, they build up too much energy.”

Libby sits straight up. “I like to run.” Her head bobbles up and down. “We can go now.”

“You’re already in your jammies.” Maverick laughs. “Well, mostly. How about you come with me in the morning?”

“To run?” Libby asks, sounding interested.

“Yeah.” He tickles her tummy. “If Mommy brought the stroller, you can ride. If not, I’ll carry you.” He shrugs, winking at me, and my stomach dances with butterflies.

He sends steady comfort in the bond, and I start to wonder if my panic drew him in here in the first place.

“Okay, I wanna do that,” Libby says, kicking her feet, but this time in excitement.

“Now, how about that slumber party?” Maverick asks. “I know Nova would like to sleep in here with you. What if you, me, and Mom watch a movie?”

“Can we, Mommy?” she asks, tilting her head until she can meet my eyes.

“We can,” I agree, running my fingers over her cheek to wipe away the leftover tears.

Maverick grins, holding out his fist to Libby, who completes the fist bump. “It sounds like we have a plan.”

I nod, giving him a soft smile. I think I might have been on the verge of having a solid cry with my kid.

It’s hard.

I feel so guilty for uprooting her life, but something had to change.

It’s also not like I can explain the truth to her, so if I have to occasionally be considered the bad guy in order to keep her safe…then so be it.

Maverick yawns, nodding to the sleeping Libby. Nova snoozes, too, but she’s stretched out across the bottom of the bed. The baby was super busy for a while, but he or she settled down a bit ago.

Maverick stretches a hand over Libby and runs his fingers along my cheek. “I know you’ve been worried about Noble. You can go check on him.”

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