Page 92 of Beneath the Surface

I purse my lips. “A while.”

He huffs.

“Honestly, you can get upset about that shit later. Butlistento me, Chase.” I slap my hand into my open palm. “There are people in my life who will use her to hurt me.”

“Of fucking course there is.”He glares, rage swirling through the hazel center of his eyes.

“My father is Thomas Wells, he’s running for president and he’s...” My jaw tenses as I try to figure out the best way to say it. “He’s not a good man. He found out about Lily and now he’s using her to make me his bitch.”

Chase’s elbows rest on his knees, his hands pressing into his eyes as he groans. “Jesus, what thefuck, dude?”

“I know it sounds crazy. But, Lily isn’t safe here. Not if she’s alone.”

He looks to the side, his face trying to hold back the pain that’s clear as day in his features. “She won’t come back with me.”

I shake my head. “She will. She’ll find out tomorrow that she’s being evicted.”

Chase’s eyes widen, and he jerks forward in his chair. “What?”

Running a hand over my face, I cringe. “I may have talked to her landlord. It didn’t take much to convince them, she’s three months behind on rent.” My heart thunks against my chest, knowing she didn’t have the money but was too proud to ask for help—knowing I’m taking advantage of that fact now. “I did what needed to be done.”

Chase’s eyes are wide and he shakes his head. “I thought I was an asshole, but you really take the fucking cake.”

I shrug. “I don’t want to live in this world if she’s not in it. And I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to her or Chase.”

He nods, exhaling through his nose. “No, I get that.”

Relief floods through me. “Look, she has demons in Tennessee. Ones she’s afraid of meeting.” Our eyes lock. “I’m trusting you to keep her safe.”

He nods.

“I need to be sure you understand me.” I step forward, tilting my head. “Sheisn’tsafe here.”

“I won’t leave without her.”

Blowing out a breath, I turn to walk out the door, but something makes me pause at the threshold; words on the tip of my tongue that I’m dying to get out.

“Her son… He—” I pause, praying for my heart to settle from where it’s twisting violently in my chest. “He loves pancakes. But not the boxed ones. The fancy ones with chocolate chips baked in, and whipped cream with chocolate sauce on top.” My voice breaks and I clear my throat. “He’ll throwbacksome bacon, but only if it’s crispy, and he hates sausage.”

I peer at Chase from the corner of my eyes. His nostrils flare, tongue running over the front of his teeth.

“He likes it when you make a smiley face with ketchup on top of scrambled eggs, and…” I continue. “And he’ssofucking special.” I exhale a shaky breath.

I thought my heart was already broken, but it isn’t until this moment that the final pieces rip and tear away, shriveling as they fall to the ground. I’ll never get to hold his hand, or see his chubby cheeks break into a smile. I’ll never hear him squeal with excitement when we play Spider-Man on the walls. I’ll never get to tell him that for all the ways I love his mother, I love him just as much.

It’s that last thought that breaks me, my chest splitting from the pain, organs spilling to the floor.

“She’s a good mom, Chase.”

His chin lifts, and he jerks his head, his Adam’s apple bobbing with his swallow.

I nod, sniffing back the burn of tears.

And then I turn around and say goodbye to Raindale, Arizona, leaving my heart behind with it.

43

Lily

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