Page 62 of Wrath

“Pretty much.”

“Hmm.” After a brief silence, she reached out to hold my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "So, tell me all about it. I want to hear everything.”

It meant the world to me that I had my mother's support, so much so I started telling her everything from the dates we had to the way I felt whenever I was with him. Thankfully, my lip had healed, so I could skip the bit about the fight with the neighbor. But I told her everything else, and Mom listened to every word.

She’d been where I was with Dad.

She knew how hard it could be and whether or not it was worth it. Her opinion mattered to me, so as soon as I was done telling her everything, I asked, “So, do you think this thing with him could work?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.” Her eyes never left mine as she said, “You’ve grown up in the club. You’ve seen how hard it can be... what it’s like to have someone you love walk out the door and not know if they’re ever coming back.”

“Wait... Are you saying you regret being with Dad?”

“Not for one second,” she answered without hesitation. “I love your father, and I would face whatever hardships I have face to be with him—just like he would,and did, for me. He’s my person, and he always will be. I wouldn’t be sitting here if he wasn’t. And if Wrath isn’t that for you...”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“You know, he reminds me a lot of your father.” Anguish marked her face as she said, “He’s been through a lot. More than most could handle.”

“I know all about his past, Mom. I was there. He tried to hide it and act like none of it mattered, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. We all could.” My throat tightened as I told her, “There was nothing anyone could do to ease the pain he was feeling. But he eventually got through it.”

“Yes, but that pain is still with him. It’s part of him.”

“Just like it was part of Dad.”

“Exactly. It’s what has made them the men they are today.” She reached up and brushed a strand of hair from my face. “Just listen to your heart, Mia. It will tell you everything you need to know.”

“I’m trying, but my head keeps getting in the way. I’ve just been overthinking everything. I even tried to talk to Wyatt about it, and he wasn’t exactly keen on the idea.”

“He’s your brother. It’s only natural that he’s worried about his little sister.”

“If you say so.”

“He’ll come around. You’ll see.” She paused for a moment, then asked, “So, do you guys have any plans to let the rest of the brothers know what’s going on?”

“Not that I know of, and honestly, I’m good with keeping things between us, at least for now. I mean, you and Dad know. Wyatt, too. And anyone Wrath’s told. I figure that’s enough for now. ”

“You’re probably right, but keep in mind, Willow’s birthday party is coming up. That could be an opportunity.”

“Maybe. We’ll see.” I glanced down at my watch, and when I saw the time, I stood up and said, “I better get going. I gotta get to the office and try to find something to keep me busy until Garrett gets back.”

“Is he still gone?”

“Yes, but he emailed me last night and said he was wrapping things up and would be back soon. I just don’t know if that means today or next week. It’s hard to tell with jobs like these.”

“Well, I hope he gets back soon, so you can get back to your regular routine.”

“You and me both.” I gave her a quick hug, then said, “I’ll see ya soon.”

I felt a little better about things as I walked back to my car and drove to work. After receiving his email, I was hopeful that Garrett would actually be there, but sadly, there was no sign of him—which was probably a blessing since I was so late. I checked the office voicemail and email, but there was nothing. I wasn’t going to blow off another day, so I went into the office and tried to find something to keep myself busy.

I made a few calls. Talked to Darby and Casey. Caught them up with everything that had been going on. I worked on my planner and plotted out the next few weeks, and once that was done, I decided to do a little work on my portfolio.

I went through some of my older photos and picked out a few of my favorites, then compiled them all into one file. I played around with a few edits, but it didn’t take long for me to become bored. I needed something a little more challenging to keep my focus.

Before I thought about what I was doing, I’d gotten up and started down the hall. It was late—well after closing. I should’ve gone home for the day, but instead, I went to Garrett’s office. When I got to his desk, I was disappointed to find that his work laptop was gone. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He would need it to upload his images, but that left me out of luck.

Feeling defeated, I turned and started back out of his office. I was just about to hit the lights when I spotted his personal computer bag hanging on the coat rack. I stepped over and looked inside, and I was pleased to see that his personal laptop was there. I took it out and carried it over to his desk. Even though I was just trying to be helpful and look for some old images that might need editing, I got a funny feeling as I sat down and pried it open.

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