Page 32 of Finding Redemption

I wincedas a group of kids screamed in unison while doing some complicated martial art move.My head was pounding, the overhead lighting making my eyes water, but this migraine wasn’t anywhere close to being as bad as the last one had been.

Thanks to Henry, I’d gotten the Excedrin and a giant iced latte on the way to Bella’s class, which had helped tremendously.But the bodyguard must have messaged Paxton to let him know about my headache, because he’d texted me shortly after our arrival.

Paxton: How are you feeling, kitten?Do you need anything?Fuck, I wish I were there.

Heart nothing but goo in my chest, I’d quickly replied.

Me: I’m fine.I promise.I wish you were here too, but only because I miss you.

As soon as I hit send, I regretted my confession.Stupid headache making me say stupid things.

That were totally the truth.

Paxton: Miss you so fucking much, kitten.

“Brooke, watch this!”

Giving Bella my full attention, I took picture after picture of her to send to her dad afterward.What was supposed to be her observing the class had turned into her participating five minutes after it began.She was having a blast, and I was glad I hadn’t let my headache spoil it for her.

I was so focused on watching and taking pictures, I didn’t notice someone had moved to stand beside me until I bumped my arm into them.“Sorry,” I squeaked when I nearly dropped my phone.

“Is your headache making you clumsy?”Sariah asked with concern, her dark eyes brushing over my face as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

I stiffened, torn between wanting to hug her because I’d missed her like crazy and wanting to demand answers for the way she’d basically set me up at Bella’s party, only to disappear on me for the last two weeks.

“I was so caught up in taking pictures for Paxton that I wasn’t paying attention.”Stuffing my phone into my pocket, I crossed my arms over my chest.“Where have you been?”

She glanced over at Bella, who was immersed in learning something new, before dropping her gaze to the floor between us.“I know you’re angry.”

“How would you know that?”I asked quietly so the other adults waiting wouldn’t hear us.“You haven’t answered any of my calls.I haven’t spoken to you in forever.”

“I’m sorry.”Releasing a heavy sigh, she forced her eyes back to my face.“I know I suck.Nothing went as it should have.All I wanted was for you and Luck to find each other.To be a family.He’s been so torn up over everything, Brooke.”

I held up a hand to stop her.“I don’t want to talk about him.This is about you and me.You set me up!”

“No, it wasn’t like that.”My skeptical glare made her grimace.“Okay, it may have been like that a little.”

Another chorus of shouts from the kids made me flinch, and I couldn’t help touching my hand to my head.Sariah shifted her body as if she could protect me from the loudness of the studio.I leaned into her, pressing my forehead to her arm, tears burning my eyes.“I’ve missed you so much, Riah.And you just left me.”

“Never,” she whispered fiercely.“You’re my best friend.I will never leave you.”She gave me a squeeze before leaning back to look down at me.“If you’re willing to give me another chance, I’ll tell you everything.But not here.”

“Fine,” I muttered, not bothering to hesitate.I leaned into her for another moment before straightening.“You’re my best friend too.”

“Did Paxton ask you to check on me?”I asked later that evening as we sat in the kitchen eating ice cream directly from the container.

“He told me you had a headache, but I was already on my way to the studio when he texted me.I wasn’t going to miss Bella’s first class.”She took a big bite and licked a dollop of whipped cream she’d added to the treat from the corner of her mouth.

Paxton’s cook made it fresh most days, and I put it on Bella’s fruit when she asked for dessert.If she knew I was pigging out on ice cream without her, she would be so mad at me.She was in bed, sound asleep after I’d tucked her in earlier.We hadn’t even gotten through an entire book before she nodded off, exhausted after everything she’d done in her karate class.

“You and Bella are really close,” I mused, scooping up a fudge chunk from the container.

“She and Paxton are the only family I have,” she said with a shrug.“And Luck.”

Ignoring the mention of my uncle, I took another bite of my cold treat.“You don’t mention your parents.I didn’t even know about Paxton and Bella until the day of the party.You know my sad backstory—I think it’s time you spilled a little of your own.”

She stuffed more ice cream into her mouth, but I sat there patiently, waiting her out.After the stunt she’d pulled at the birthday party, I wasn’t about to let her off without giving me something.She hadn’t told me her reasons for orchestrating my dramatic meeting with Luck, and I would rather talk about her family than my mother’s brother.

“I don’t have a relationship with my mom.”She stabbed her spoon into the middle of the ice cream container.“She and my stepfather aren’t people I want in my life.”

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