Page 142 of It's Always Us

He nods slowly. “How do you think she’ll take it?”

“She’s going to be surprised. She’s the sweetest, kindest, brightest girl.” I see the uncharacteristic hesitancy and uneasiness overcome him. “She’ll love you.”

There’s one thing we haven’t talked about, and avoiding it won’t get us anywhere, so I tiptoe into it. “Can we talk about your mom?”

He sits down on the end of the bed, setting his phone aside. “How much trouble is she in?”

“Her court date is coming up. She’s being charged with possession, manufacturing and delivery, and child endangerment.” I let that sit for a moment. “The DA is on the hunt based on prior convictions.”

“And you have custody of Bree?” he asks, turning to face me.

“I’ve been appointed temporary guardianship for now.”

He stiffens. “What does that mean? Does the social worker know about me? That we’re married, and I’m her brother.”

“I told her.” This is where the mess only deepens, and the old wounds will be ripped wide open. “Before I left, I told Linda about us. She knows we’re married. I’m pretty sure that has something to do with her using again.”

I watch Mark’s face carefully as he processes.

“She doesn’t want us to have guardianship.”

His head pops up. “What?” His eyes search my face. “She doesn’t wantusto have guardianship or me?”

He stands. “What the hell is she thinking? She sure didn’t have any issue signing me away. All they had to do was give her a pen.” He paces along the large window. “She’s nothing but a selfish, self-centered piece of . . . ”

He doesn’t finish as he turns toward me.

I sit up a little. “She’s afraid you’ll take Bree from her.”

“She lost her all on her own when she decided to deal and put Bree at risk with those . . . ” His tone is fierce, and I understand his anger. “I’ll get a lawyer. Maggie knows an excellent one. She had to go through something similar with her siblings. There’s no way a judge would . . . ” He rubs his forehead. “She can’t have a say in this. Bree can’t go into some stranger’s home. Who knows what could happen to her.”

My brain has traveled down the same horrible path, but I can’t let it go very far.

“She seriously can’t have a say in this. Does she?” His anger has turned to worry.

“The social worker told me to sit tight and wait for her court date. She likely won’t have much of a say if she’s sentenced. We’ve got a good case, given that you are blood-related, a law-abiding citizen, and I don’t think it’ll hurt that you’re a public figure and loaded.”

“How long is this going to take?”

I shrug. “You know the system works at a snail’s pace.” I shift to get more comfortable, needing to tell him this last piece. “Mark, I know you have terrible memories and feelings about your mom. But . . . those aren’t what Bree knows.”

I wait for him to look at me. “You need to be careful. Her heart is breaking, and doesn’t understand what’s happening. I’ve tried to explain it to her, but Linda is her mom.” I don’t want to say this last part, but I have to. “And until now, she’s been a good mom to Bree.”

Mark’s chest expands as he inhales, and then he lets it out long and slow. “Ok. I’ll watch what I say.”

“Come here.”

I make room again on the bed and extend my hand. It takes a second before he comes to sit with me. I wrap my arms around his middle and rest my chin on his shoulder.

“I know you want to dive in and make this all better. The new truck. The house. Bree. I love you so much for it. We need to go slow. One thing at a time.”

His lips press against my sore head. “I suck at one thing at a time.”

“Clearly.” I move his hand to my stomach, where our twins are causing a ruckus.

“I knew exactly what I was doing there.” His tone is low and stirs my belly.

I push his jaw toward me and find his lips. “You really did. Now, what do you think about heading out there and charming one of these nurses into letting me out of here?”

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