Page 32 of Discord
Anything that made her happy was starting to make me happy. It was an uncomfortable realization because the path I just selected for us—one she’d be forced to walk with me—was farthest from what would make her happy.
Mia unsettled me, but clearly not enough to walk away. So, yeah, it was worth it. The sheer amount of distress from only a week away from her had been bothersome. Mia living in that house also contributed to the worrisome factor. Someone put their hands on her, and Mia refused to give me a name. Though I had my suspicions honed on one person, there were eight possible culprits. While I couldn’t destroy Raven without Mia’s verbal confirmation, I didn’t relish the idea of her living with Raven either. I only agreed to this trip because Raven was away for the time being.
Mia’s parents were under the assumption that I still lived in their attached brownstone. I left my things to provide me with the necessary access to keep an eye on Mia until I could coax her into moving in with me. Every communication we had only strengthened my decision. I had known all along that if I gave in again, it’d be game over.
Who was I kidding?
My fate had been sealed since Italy. Letting her slip away wasn’t an option anymore. She was mine and had no clue what I had just done to keep it that way.
Mia
“Reid,”I wheezed, slapping his back. Reid’s form of affection to show me he missed me included depriving me of air. “Oxygen. Require it. For breathing.”
Reid only hugged me tighter, his giant arms seconds from snapping me like a twig. “Stop being a drama queen.”
“Hugs kill.” I coughed.
Reid laughed and let go, aware of my fake coughing. I sat at the edge of my bed and he settled in the desk chair. A thick fog covered the atmosphere, altering our previous lighthearted exchange. We had important matters to discuss.
While I had been doused in a world where nothing other than Brandon existed, real shit weighed on this family. A couple of months ago, Reid fell off the face of the earth, something he had done periodically over the years. He resurfaced after I expressed my concerns and returned home to take Raven on a little field trip to Baltimore to dissect what she had been going through. My chest felt tight because Reid was here without Raven, insisting we spoke privately before they returned home. This couldn’t be good news.
“Did you talk to her?” I asked faintly.
“Yes,” he sighed. “I pressed her a lot about what happened with Milo.”
I had the sudden urge to throw up. “Did she admit to anything?”
He shook his head. “Jury’s still out. But until she is ready to talk, there is no point in jumping to conclusions.”
I nodded. I saw her bruises, but could Milo have hurt Raven? Then again, he hurt me, so obviously, he had a side to him none of us was privy to.
“After what happened with you, Milo kind of freaked out. I spoke to him. He agreed to take some time away from Raven. That’s why he moved to California and decided to take charge of the new West Coast location.”
“Oh.” Milo and I hadn’t spoken. He texted me a few times, but I hadn’t responded. I didn’t have the brainpower to understand the situation.
Reid looked me over carefully. “I didn’t tell Raven about Milo putting his hands on you. It’s your call if you want to tell her.”
I had no interest in making the situation worse. I shook my head. “No. We can’t tell anyone. You didn’t see him, Reid. He just... snapped.” I didn’t know how else to explain it. “Milo would never hurt me otherwise, nor has he done so before.” My statements were true. Before this incident, Milo had never shown an inkling of violence toward Reid, Raven, or me. So, what the hell happened?
“Doesn’t matter,” Reid said sharply. “There’s no excuse for his behavior. This whole Raven thing aside, Milo needs help.”
My stomach lurched at the thought. Reid was right, Milo had been unraveling for years.
“Moving to the West Coast will be good for him,” Reid continued. “He can go to therapy, be close to the water, and most importantly, get some space from this goddamn family.”
I felt weary at his words, bogged down by the raw emotions.
“Not because he needs space from you,” Reid added gently. “Milo loves you, but he needs to decompress from taking care of other people.”
“You’re right,” I whispered.
“He’ll be okay,” Reid asserted.
I nodded thoughtfully. He had to be okay.
There was something else I wanted to discuss though it’d embarrass Reid. If Milo needed help, Reid was in the same boat. His drinking had gotten out of control. I barely recognized him when he walked in—eyes sunken and all.
However, Reid was full of surprises today. “There is something else I have to tell you.”
