Page 163 of Severed Rivalry
“I’ll work on the house and school thing today. I didn’t know it was that important to you.”
He pulls me back enough to hold my eyes. “I’m okay staying here. I’m okay moving. I only want what you and Renée need to be home. I don’t know a thing about schools or the education system.”
Laying my head on his chest, I wrap my free arm around him, pulling myself flush against him. “Thank you.”
“For what, Angel?”
“For being everything I could ever want and everything I didn’t know I needed.”
“Love you, Sariah,” he whispers.
“Love you, too, Ci.”
We stay like that until our mugs are dry. “What do we do about Ruth?” I finally ask.
“The right thing to do is report her as missing. Downside is we out ourselvesas kidnappers when we do. I’d do it again, rescue her and the others, but strictly speaking, I think the legal system would disapprove.”
“The legal system can kiss my?—”
The door cracks open. “Mom?”
“Yeah, baby?”
She extends her cell. “RoRo is on the phone for you.”
“Morning, Cian,” Renée offers quietly.
“Morning, “Née.” Cian grabs my mug and leaves me on the terrace, following my daughter and Eleanor inside, giving me privacy with my mom.
“Hello?” I ask.
“I’m happy for you,” Rosie says through the line.
“I am too. But I’m betting that’s not why you called.” I fold onto the lounge.
“I need to get back to the center. I’m—” she pauses. “Needed there. And I don’t have a handsome fellow to rely on.”
How have I not thought of this? None of us are independently wealthy.
“I can help.”
“You’ll do no such thing. You have your own bills, and you can spend the extra on my grandbaby. Or save it for my next one.”
I scoff, but she’s not wrong. We’re playing Russian Roulette with my ovaries at this point and if we’re not careful, we’ll have far more on that priorities list than figuring out someone else’s teenagers. We’ll have our own.
“Then whatcanI do?”
“I know of one thing, but it’s a tall ask…”
“More than me moving five,”—now four, I think—“teenagers into your home?”
“Okay, then, it’s a short ask.”
“Hit me.” I stretch my legs toward the morning sun and wiggle my toes. A fresh mug of coffee appears before me, and I smile at the man providing shade to my face.
“Are you moving out of your house?” Rosie asks tentatively.
“Officially, I don’t know.” I study Cian’s face and continue, “But, effectively, yes.”
