Page 21 of Her Fearless Ronin

A chaste brush of my lips on her palm affected my body in ways that even the most depraved sex never did. I turned my head to the side, finding her still cradling her hand. “Come on, Hope Myers, let’s go.”

I didn’t know what the future held; I didn’t even know what Hope and I were going to become or not, but I knew one thing for sure.

I would not be the same man when I left as I was when I came.

Chapter 7

Hope

“Seventy-four, under the O, seventy-four!” I called before putting the bingo ball in the yellow bucket by my side.

“Seventy-four hit the floor!”

“That’s right.” I laughed, turning toward Mrs. Wallace, who wassitting at the table near the front, which was the same table as my mother and Jiro.

My heart squeezed in my chest at seeing him hunched over his own bingo card, glancing at my mom’s card, too, making sure she was not missing a number. He had his eyebrows furrowed, taking this far more seriously than winning a crochet set warranted.

I smiled with a little shake of my head as I turned the wheel again before picking another ball.

“Ten, under theB, ten!”

“Bingo!” an older man at the back called, followed by a very vocal “motherfucker” coming from Jiro.

My mother cracked a smile at his expletive; it was one of her good days.

“Okay, let’s take a short break while I check the ticket, and next up will be a spa basket. See you all back in fifteen minutes.”

I went off the stage with my list of numbers and checked the older gentleman’s card as the gentle buzz of conversation settled on the room.

Once I checked the numbers and congratulated the winner, I approached the table where Jiro and my mother were seated to get them some drinks.

“We’ll get that damned spa set, Liliane. God be my witness,” he said, leaning toward my mother.

My heart leaped in my chest as she reached for him and patted his cheek. “It’s okay. It’s fun.”

How was it possible for me not to fall for him?

“You’re a good man. I’m happy Hope has you. She deserves to be happy, you know that, little one.”

I restedmy hand on my mouth to muffle my gasp of surprise. It was so rare that she remembered me.

Jiro grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. “I will take care of our Hope, Liliane. This is my vow to you.”

My mother nodded and looked behind her, smiling when she saw me. “Oh, Anna! I’m thirsty. Could you get me a lemonade, please, sweetheart?”

My smile wobbled as I deflated. I had hoped just for a few seconds that maybe she would call me by my name.

I nodded. “Of course, Mom. Do you want anything?” I asked, concentrating on Jiro. The intensity of his eyes on me made me shiver.

“No, I’m fine.”

I nodded again and brought her the drink before going back to the bingo game, somehow feeling a little heavier than I was at the start. Hearing her mentioning “Hope” and still calling me “Anna” really dampened my mood for the rest of the bingo event.

“Are you okay?” Jiro asked, coming to stand beside me as I looked at the center’s staff herding the patients back inside for the rest of the day’s activity.

I started to nod but stopped myself. I didn’t feel like faking it anymore today, and not with Jiro. “It’s just hard to get reminded of the fucked-up reality, even if it’s daily.”

He took a side step closer to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to his chest.

---