Page 35 of Save Me

"I wouldn't have to fuss if you'd behave."

"I'll behave if you will."

"I behave just fine."

"Mmhmm," she mutters, letting me know she thinks I'm full of shit. And then she sighs. "I didn't actually come to hunt down that sweet girl, Brant. That was just a bonus."

"Did you need something, Ma? You could have called."

"No, nothing like that," she murmurs, her cane tapping against the floor. "I suppose I just wanted to see this place again. It's been a long time." She glances down the long hallway, her gaze running over the gold records lining the walls. "We were happy here once. Before the drugs. Before…everything. I guess I wanted to see if any of the good memories remained or if they were all broken now, too. Is that silly?"

"No," I rasp, my voice thick. "It's not silly."

"Well, at any rate, I didn't find what I was looking for," she says with a sigh. "And I suppose that's for the best. I shouldn't be looking to hold onto good memories. It feels a little too much like hoping they'll undo the bad."

Fuck. I want to bring him back and kill him myself for tainting every inch of their life together. He's dead, and she still can't move on because his presence lingers, dragging her back there.

"I want you to fill this place with good memories to replace them, Brant," she says after a moment. "Steep this place in all the happiness he drained out of it. You make this a place worthy of that sweet girl. And you erase every mark he left on the company, you hear me?"

"That's the plan, Ma."

"Good." She smiles up at me, her expression serene. "Then take me to that gorgeous cowboy, dear. I'm ready to get out of here."

By the time I get back to my office, Isla is curled up behind my desk, her feet tucked up underneath her, staring out at the city. She looks exhausted.

I immediately stride toward her, lifting her out of the chair into my arms.

"I like your mom," she murmurs, laying her head against my shoulder. "She's really sweet, Brantley. She reminds me of our mom."

"Yeah?" I brush my lips across hers, settling down in the chair with her in my lap. That's high praise coming from her. In her book, Jenna Sterling can do no wrong. "She likes you too."

"I hope you don't mind that we spent time together," she says, chewing on her bottom lip. "She kind of insisted, and I couldn't tell her no."

"I don't mind, little bird. I haven't seen her smile like that in a long time."

"She adores you, you know." Isla peeks up at me, smiling sweetly. "She probably told me ten times what a good boy you are."

"She gets the paper," I mutter. "She knows what they've been saying. She's probably worried it'll scare you off."

"No!" Isla sits up on my lap, shaking her head. "She said it because she means it, Brantley. Because she wanted me to know how special you are. Even if the papers weren't printing stupid crap, she still would have said it because it's true." She cups my cheek, staring up at me. "You're incredible."

"Fuck," I groan, dragging her down to me to claim her mouth in a deep kiss. "Every time you say something sweet to me, you make my fucking cock ache, baby. You steal another little piece of my soul. Do it a few more times, and you'll own the whole damn thing."

"Yeah?" She smiles against my lips. "Maybe that's my plan, Brantley."

I growl softly and kiss her again.

She hums against my lips before settling down on my lap again with a sigh. For a long moment, she just lays against me, not speaking. It's unusual for her. She's usually got something to say about everything.

"Daniel said you were upset when you got here today. What happened, little bird?" I ask, running my fingers through her hair.

"I got to talk to Bella today," she whispers.

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah." She clears her throat. "I don't think she's coming home, Brantley."

"Of course she will. As soon as–"

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