Page 76 of Nine Months to Love
“I do now.”
“Since when?”
“Since you.” I tuck her hair behind her ear again. It keeps falling forward, wet and unruly. “I think a soulmate is whoever you keep choosing. Over and over again. Every day. Even when it’s hard. Even when you want to run.”
“That’s very romantic for a crime lord.”
“I contain multitudes.”
She laughs, and the sound fills something hollow in my chest. I lean down to kiss the water droplets off her shoulder, her collarbone, the hollow of her throat. She shivers, but not from cold this time.
“Stefan,” she murmurs.
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
She doesn’t have to say what exactly she’s thanking me for. I know. I think I’ve known from the start.”
“Always.”
We sit like that for a while, watching the storm. The rain starts to ease up, the thunder moving farther away. Olivia’s breathing evens out and I think she might be falling asleep when my phone rings.
I almost ignore it. But it could be important. It could be about my mother.
I extract myself carefully from Olivia and grab my phone from where I left it near the cabin door. Three missed calls from Taras and a text:Call me. Now.
I dial him back, keeping my voice low so I don’t wake Olivia.
“What’s wrong?”
“Mikayla is getting worse, Stefan. Last night, she was screaming about how she failed you, how she doesn’t deserve to live. Today, she’s even more violent. We had to restrain her so she didn’t bash her own skull in against the wall. What’s next?”
“I’ll deal with it when I get back.”
“When will that be?”
“Soon.”
“Stefan—”
“I said I’ll deal with it.”
I hang up before he can argue further. When I turn around, Olivia is watching me. “Everything okay?” she asks.
I force a smile. “Just business. Nothing to worry about.”
“Was that about your mother?”
“Yes.” The lie comes easily, to my shame. “We might have a lead on where she is.”
“Really? Where?”
“I don’t have details yet. Taras is following up.”
Olivia sits up straighter. “When will you know more?”
“A few days, maybe.”
