“You did.” It was like a weight had just lifted from my shoulders. “Where is she? Do you have her contact information?”
“Yes and no,” Raul hedged. “I found her at Sandstone Memorial Cemetery, her new home as of three weeks ago.”
Shit. “Do you have anything else on her?”
“Yes. I’ll be in Houston the day after tomorrow and I’ll deliver the file I’ve put together on her.”
“Thank you, Raul. I appreciate it.”
“Of course. My condolences.” He ended the call before I could say anything, which I was grateful for, because what the hell would I say?
“Are you okay, Alex?”
I shook my head. “That was the investigator. Dixie’s mom died three weeks ago.”
“Oh no!” She slid closer and wrapped me in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Alex. This is horrible.”
“No,” I growled. “What’s horrible is that I still don’t remember her. The name doesn’t ring any bells, and if I close my eyes, I can’t see her face. How fucked up is that?”
She shrugged. “What does it matter? Do you remember every woman you’ve slept with?” Her dark brows arched playfully at the question.
“No,” I sighed and shook my head. “But this is different.”
“Why, because she got pregnant?”
I nodded and tried to put some distance between us but the stubborn woman would allow it. “Yeah. Obviously.”
“Bullshit,” she said and gripped my chin, forcing our gazes to lock. “This woman was Dixie’s mother and it’s okay if that’s all she ever means to you. She left you with a wonderful gift and you can love her for that or just be grateful.”
“Miriam Juliet, that’s her name,” I said like that mattered at this point.
“Okay, well learn what you can about Miriam Juliet so that you can tell Dixie what there is to know about her.”
I laughed bitterly. “What if she asks if I loved her mother?”
“Then you tell her the truth, that you’ll always love her for bringing Dixie into your life but that her dear old dad was a big slut and didn’t do love.”
I frowned and Sasha laughed. “Great parenting talk, Sash.”
She shrugged. “You know, or something like that.” She laid her head on my shoulder. “I really am sorry, Alex. I know you were hoping to find her alive.” Her hand slid up and down my thigh, the move meant to be comforting rather than arousing.
“So much for answers.”
“Maybe not. See if she has any family or left behind any keepsakes that you can save for Dixie when she’s older.”
I nodded absently. It was a good idea and I would text Raul later, for now I just wanted to bask in her easy affection. “Thank you, Sasha.”
She pulled back and looked up in confusion. “For what?”
“For being you. For just being here. Thank you.”
“Of course. No matter what else is going on, Alex. We’re a team.”
“A pretty good one,” I agreed and wrapped an arm around her, unable to resist pressing my lips to that sexy smile of hers.
Chapter 24
Sasha