“Come home with me?” I ask Mia. Our bodies are wrapped around one another’s beneath the covers of her messy bed. I’m asking her nicely, but deep down, I know I won’t take no for an answer.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to complicate things with the girls.”

“Are you kidding me? They want you there. Rianna is the one who told me to go and make things right with you.”

“She is?”

“Yes.” And honestly, I think it would help to have Mia there to talk about things. This whole situation has been nuts. But that’s what Georgia does to me—she makes me lose my mind!

“Okay.” Her response is just what I wanted, and it makes me feel like everything is going to be all right.

We get up and get dressed, I look at how sunken in her stomach is, and it breaks my heart knowing I hurt her.

“When is the last time you ate?” I ask.

She shrugs, and I tell her, “You have to take care of yourself.”

“I know,” she whispers, the pain still evident in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Mia. I never meant to hurt you.”

“Would you stop being sorry? We’re good.”

She sits astride my lap, and I hold on to her. “Yeah, we are good.”

She kisses the side of my mouth, and for some reason, I’m taken back to the time in my life where it all went so wrong. “Will you promise one thing?”

“Of course?”

“That no matter what happens, you’ll never leave me. You’ll always talk things through with me.”

“I promise.”

“I mean it. When we walked into my house and found Georgia there, I didn’t want you to go. When I turned around, and you were gone, it almost broke me.”

“I didn’t know what to do, Roan.”

“I know. Just don’t leave me, no matter what happens.” My arms are around her, and it makes me feel so good, so settled as if everything in my world is right. Had she stayed, all of this could’ve been avoided, and I have a feeling she sees that, too. I’m not blaming her. She doesn’t hold a single ounce of fault in this whole situation. I am the one who hid from my problems, and I did it for too long. I’ll never do it again.

She stands and laces her fingers through mine, leading me through her condo and to her front door. “I’ll drive.” Not able to fathom being away from her for one second.

“Are you sure?”

I don’t answer her. Instead, I open my passenger car door and usher her inside. Then I slip in behind the wheel and start the engine. “Do you want to eat before we go back?”

“No, we can go see the girls.”

“And you will, but you need to eat.”

“Okay,” she agrees and then shifts so she’s facing me. “What did my brother say?”

“At first, he was ready to continue trying to beat the shit out of me.”

“Really?”

“Really. His nose is all bruised, and you know how he feels about his face.”

She laughs, which is a sound I love.

“After I got him to calm down, we talked for a while, and he understood it was a big misunderstanding.” I flip my blinker and pull into a parking lot, nodding to the neon sign for the diner. “Here good?” I ask.

“It’s perfect.”

“Good.” We get out and head inside. While we are being led to our table, I shoot a quick text to the girls, asking if they want anything. “You ever been here?” I ask her.

“No, you?”

“Yeah, a few times. They have the best chicken and waffles.”

“I don’t know how you could eat that, it’s so gross.”

“Whatever. It’s like a delicacy in the South. Have you ever tried it?”

“No.”

“Then don’t knock it.”

“Hi my name is Pam, I’ll be your server. What can I get you two to drink?”

“I’ll have a coke,” Mia says.

“Make that two,” I tell the waitress.

She walks off, and we both look over the menu. I know I’m getting the chicken and waffles, so I set my menu down and look across the table at my beautiful girl.

“What?” she asks without looking up.

“Nothing, just admiring the view.”

She looks behind her as if there is anything more gorgeous than her, and I laugh. “Really?”

Her cheeks blush, and she sets the menu down. I reach across the table and take her hands into mine, holding them tightly as her warmth fills my body. “I love you, Mia.”

“I love you.” Her response sounds so natural and effortless as it leaves her perfect lips. I have no fuckin’ clue how I got so damn lucky, but for some reason, I did. If I had to go through everything all over again just to end up where I am now, I would do it in a heartbeat.