Page 144 of A Temporary Forever

I enter the pantry and put the jar on the counter beside her. My phone rings, and I check the number. Xander.

“Do you need to take it?” She opens the jar and pulls out a cookie.

“No,” I growl and disconnect the call.

“Is it about Corm?”

“It doesn’t matter now.”

“You should answer it.” She takes a bite and drops the cookie to the counter, hanging down her head.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” I bark, and regret it immediately. “Sorry.” I close the jar. “Do you want coffee? Can I draw you a bath?”

She chuckles, the sound laced with venom. “Stop being nice to me. Stop taking care of me. I know that you’re used to fixing shit. But you can’t buy my green card. You can’t pay my way through that interview.”

“But you haven’t been deported yet, so why are you already giving up?” I punch the fridge, my knuckles almost cracking.

She flinches. “Because some of us learned to prepare for the worst. I need to regroup and buckle up for the worst possible—a very possible—scenario, and I can’t have you hovering around me. It only makes this break up harder.”

“We’re not breaking up. What are you talking about?”

Her gaze meets mine, full of frustration and hurt. “You know what I’m talking about.”

“No, actually, I don’t. Okay, so you might get deported, but you’re still my fucking wife.” I pounce on her, cornering her. “And you may be scared right now, but don’t you dare give up on us.”

I pin her against the counter with my hips and cupher nape. “Don’t you fucking dare give up on us, black swan,” I repeat, before I fuse my lips with hers in a punishing kiss.

A kiss full of frustration about our current situation. About fucking Cormac. About Merged. About this infuriating woman who built her walls on the way home from the ICE office like there was nothing to fight for.

She takes my lips, my tongue, my mouth, moaning, but then she pushes me away. “Stop it. Stop it. We haven’t been together that long. Why are you making it harder than it has to be?”

Is she for real? “Because I fucking love you.”

She sighs, closing her eyes momentarily. “I love you too, but let’s be realistic here.”

“Don’t fucking try to diminish what we have,” I bellow, and she winces. Fuck.

She loves me. She loves me. So why is she giving up?

My phone rings again, but this time it draws my attention because I recognize the ringtone. Only two people have a special ringtone on my phone. One stands across from me, mad and hurt.

“It’s Mia.”

I answer the phone.

The words that come from the other side of the line shatter my world for the third time in one day.Every fucking part of my life went to shit on this glorious day.

“I’ll be right there.” I hang up.

“What happened?” Celeste asks.

“We have to go. She’s in the hospital.”

Chapter 38

Caleb

“Ididn’t know who to call.” Mia hiccups, her arms wrapped around my waist. “Aunt Greta is working tonight.”

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