Page 106 of Edge of Unbroken

He nods once, then addresses Shane. “Ran doesn’t need to know,” Steve says, his voice tight. “It’s done. There’s nothing to tell him. He’ll just worry for no reason.”

“Guys, we can’t keep all these damn things from him all the time,” Shane says.

“What do you think you’ll accomplish by telling Ran Drew made a move on Cat?” Steve asks.

I place one hand on Shane’s chest. “ I think telling him might do more harm than good.”

Shane pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, narrowing his eyes for a moment before he exhales deeply and nods. “’Kay,” he says, then looks at me with a twinkle in his blue eyes. “Fuck, Cat, you did a number on Drew.” He chuckles, a grin breaking through his tense expression. “His nose is definitely busted. You’re a beast!”

I smile widely at him. A beast? I like that.

Friday, March 4th

Ronan

“Hey Rony?” I hear Miranda’s voice behind me.

I look over my shoulder at her as I lead Reaper back into his pen. “Hey Randi.”

“Do you think you can get away for a little bit?”

“Probably,” I say. “Why?”

She hesitates. “I want to check in on my dad, but I don’t want to go alone.”

Miranda can only be described as tiny but mighty. She oozes confidence and very much comes across as having a thick skin. But I’ve known her long enough to know that a lot of it is a façade, and much of Miranda’s demeanor is a shield against her father’s verbal attacks. She pretends to let everything roll off her back, even though she’s deeply affected and has been significantly shaped by the words that have been hurled at her since her mother died eight years ago.

“Are you wanting to go right now?” I ask.

“Well, as soon as possible.”

“Okay,” I say simply, then walk out of the barn and back to the house with her by my side.

Ever since we found Miranda’s dad unconscious a week ago, Miranda has been more subdued, regularly seeking my presence. She’s snuck into my bed to sleep next to me every night since then. She doesn’t wake me when she does so and doesn’t talk to me; I simply feel her crawl underneath my blanket, her sock-covered feet touching my legs, before she falls asleep next to me. I’m up and dressed long before my grandfather has a chance to walk into my room and catch Miranda in bed with me.

Not that there’s anything inappropriate going on—I’d never let that happen. My heart does and always will belong to Cat. I’d never risk that. But I know how it looks, and I can only imagine my grandmother’s reaction if she heard that Randi spends every night in bed with me.

My grandmother has warmed to Miranda somewhat over the past month, but I nonetheless try not to give my grandma occasion to question Miranda’s motives or my intentions. I just don’t need that shit right now. But I also don’t have it in me to tell Miranda to stop sneaking into my bed at night. She obviously needs this right now, and who am I to deny her the one thing that provides her some semblance of peace? I mean, I’d love nothing more than to sleep next to Cat every night. I miss her touch so badly. There’s nothing like it. It’s the most comforting thing, and I yearn for it more with each day that passes. Even our Sunday phone calls no longer hold me over longer than maybe forty-eight hours. I miss her constantly and without pause.

“Hello you two!” my grandma chirps from the living room as we enter the house. She’s folding mounds of laundry.

“Hey Morai,” I say quickly. “Would it be alright if I drive Randi to check in on her dad?”

My grandmother looks up from her laundry, her face soft as she gives Miranda a sympathetic smile, then turns her attention to me. I can tell her wheels are turning. “Baby boy, I think Athair could use your help this afternoon. Perhaps Miranda can make the trip alone?”

I feel Miranda deflate a little next to me.

“I think she’d prefer not to go alone,” I say.

I know that finding her father like that was a traumatizing experience for Miranda, and I understand the anxiety and the fear that comes with potentially exposing yourself to more trauma. She’s worried about what she might find.

My grandmother stays silent for a long moment, analyzing us, studying my face.

As far as I’m concerned, this is happening, whether my grandmother wants it to or not. “Morai, I’m going to take Randi,” I say.

“Alright,” my grandmother says. “Just, please drive safely.”

***

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