Page 129 of Breathe Again

There was silence again in the car. They were getting closer to home and there was a subject he needed to address before they got there.

“I spoke to your mother.”

She responded immediately, “I can’t talk about her right now, Zee.”

“That’s the answer I expected. She’s going to keep a distance for a while. I’m going to make sure of it. You’ll take whatever steps you need to take whenever you’re ready.”

Mara’s eyes got big. “She agreed to that?”

He smiled. “Agreed might be too strong a word.”

There had been, in fact, no agreement, but for the next two weeks he was the gatekeeper and he’d make sure she didn’t enter.

“Huh,” she mused. She’d expected him to want her to smooth things over. “Okay, baby. That sounds perfect actually.”

He’d thought long and hard about how to bring everybody back together after the trauma they’d all witnessed. His instincts were to carry her off to a secluded island like a caveman, hide her away, and keep her to himself, but that was what he wanted, not what she needed.

Over and over her doctor and therapist stressed that the more support she had, the better she would be. They also made clear to him what that support should and shouldn’t entail.

Keeping Bea out of the picture was paramount. That wasn’t a decision he could make for Mara in the long run, but for now it was how it was going to be.

Dean and Sophie knew she’d had a breakdown, but he’d left the details deliberately vague. He needed to talk to her about how transparent she was willing to be.

Willa, Bex, even Rhys, would be there for her, and for him, and for Olivia, and the sooner he got Mara past the discomfort of seeing them for the first time, the better. Leaving Mara to stew was never a great idea.

Willa was waiting at the house when they got home.

“Willa is here?” He could hear the combination of anxiety and excitement in her voice.

He answered her wryly, “You think I had a choice in the matter?”

She laughed and it made him smile.

“She would have stayed away if I’d asked her to, she was unsure if you would want to be alone with Olivia and I, but I assured her that you needed her too.”

“You did right.”

He breathed out. He wasn’t sure she’d agree when Rhys and Bex showed up with Olivia, but better to rip the band aid off quick.

He hoped.

As soon as they got through the door Willa had Mara in her arms, and they stood for several long moments holding each other tightly. Willa drew away first with a shuddering breath.

“You okay, Merry?”

Mara wiped her tears and put her most reassuring face on. “I will be, honey. I’m much better now, and I’ll be better than I’ve ever been. Okay?”

Willa nodded. “I’m here for whatever you need. I have some ideas, but we can talk about that later when you’re ready.”

“Ideas for what?” Mara looked half wary, half curious.

“Ideas to help you get back on track, ideas for homeschooling, time for you, just some thoughts.” She raised her hands to fend off the objections she fully expected. “You’ll steer the ship; I’ll be the first mate.”

Mara smiled but she looked tired, a bit harried. She looked around and startled when she noticed the wall just as Rhys walked in.

“What the hell happened here?” she exclaimed in surprise, pointing to the wall.

Zale and Willa glanced at each other, surprised she didn’t remember.

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