Page 211 of Smooth Sailing

Totally killing me.

Hugger kept going, and I knew by the change in his tone that it was about to get even worse.

“She would listen to this song,” he whispered. “And sometimes, she’d sing it to me.”

“What song, honey?” I whispered back.

“‘You and Me Against the World.’ Heard it?”

I shook my head while swallowing, holding back tears, because just the title of the song done me in.

“That song…” He took a second, then he said, “It was like she was preparing me for when she wouldn’t be there.”

Oh God.

“I wanna hear the song,” I croaked.

“I’ll play it for you later, baby,” he murmured.

“Okay.”

He pulled breath into his nose and kept giving it to me.

“So, yeah. I got so stuck in the grief, when Chaos took me on, I didn’t realize what was all around me. What she wanted for me. What Pete and Rush went out of their way to find me and give to me. What all the brothers and the old ladies and the kids gave me from the get-go.”

I loved he was understanding what he had with his Club.

I loved it.

But I had a sinking sensation in my stomach because of what he was saying.

His family was in Denver.

And mine was in Phoenix.

With the life he lived, I couldn’t take that from him. Especially not now when he was comprehending the fullness of what his mother gave him.

Even though I just lost some of mine, I got the important parts back.

Still.

So Hugger could have his family, I was going to have to move to Denver.

“Di?” he called.

I tipped my head back to catch his gaze. “I can’t contain my joy that you’re figuring it out, Hug. I haven’t met them all, but the ones I’ve met are awesome. And I can tell by the way they treat you they think the same about you.”

“Yeah.”

“So, if that was what she wanted, your mom would be happy you’re with them?” I asked a question I knew the answer to.

“She totally would.”

God.

I was going to have to move to Denver.

“You get one parking spot with this unit, or two?” he asked.

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