Page 81 of If Our Hearts Collide

“Thanks for washing my clothes and drying them from yesterday.”

He smiles. “It’s no problem at all.”

“And thanks for letting me spend the night.”

I hate this feeling of being weird around someone who is paid to protect me. I also hate that I asked Collins to stay with me last night until I fell asleep, only to find him camped out on the armchair the next morning.

How can an act be so intimate and we didn’t even share the bed?

Do I talk in my sleep?

Maybe I drool or have other equally embarrassing habits.

Who the hell knows…

“Please call or text if you need anything.”

“Of course.”

“You mean that?”

“No.”

“And this is why there are tracking devices…”

I make a face. “Ew, gross. I’m going to pretend you were joking.”

“Of course.”

“You mean that?”

He makes a face. “No.”

Well, I guess I’m also going to need to scour all of my belongings for anything that could potentially be a GPS locator.

Fuck.

I exit the car, shut the door, and jog up to the house. I’m barely inside when Momma greets me with a big bear hug, startling me and making me drop my bag.

“Momma,” I gasp.

“I was so worried over that storm. The roads and the power and the trees down. Not to mention the flash flooding. And you weren’t here, and I was just scared.”

This is what smothering feels like, and there isn’t a darn thing I can do because I’m thankful someone cares.

“Collins took care of me,” I say simply, trying to breathe from the force of her embrace. “No need to worry.”

“Carrying you for nine months in my belly gives me the privilege to worry about you anytime I want.”

I pull back and smile. “I’m fine,” I promise. “Really.”

“You keep growing up so fast that if I blink, I’ll suddenly be old. And I know I won’t age well, I just know it. I did one of those age zap things on this filter app, and I was appalled. Even my future turkey neck had a turkey neck. Life can be so cruel sometimes.”

I laugh over her gift at keeping serious situations still lighthearted. “I’m going to go to my room and start figuring out what to pack. I got to see my new place last night, and it is going to be fun to furnish.”

“Can you ask me if?—”

“Momma?”

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