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“Right,” Liam replies. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

“Let’s plan to meet at Adair Swim Club tomorrow afternoon at two.”

“That works for me,” I agree.

“I’ll be there.”

We take the time to coordinate the rest of the logistics and answer some basic questions Liam has; like whether or not she has stuff with her or if they have the chance to go back and get more. Then we’re hanging up. But, almost immediately, my phone rings again.

This time, I recognize the number. “Hey, beautiful.”

“I should have known Ronan O’Brien would still be charming even when he’s dead on his feet.”

“You know it.” I might be smiling, but she’s not wrong. I feel the exhaustion deep within me, but it’s paired with a rage that comeswhenever I have to deal with shitty parents. They come in every shape and size. Every kid who has them can tell you the effect they have on you will last a lifetime, constantly altering your view of yourself, other people, and life in general.

“Did Penny get ahold of the brother?”

“Yeah.” I drop my head back against the couch, finally allowing myself to relax. “He’s meeting us at the club in the afternoon. He wanted to drive out right now, but we both advised everyone gets some rest.”

“That’s a good idea, and I’ll be there tomorrow.” I didn’t have to ask, she anticipated not only my needs, but Emmie’s, too. The more people she sees in her corner, the more supported she’ll feel. “You should get some sleep, Ronan. You’ve had a long night, too.”

I’m about to argue, but I can feel my body relaxing more. When I don’t say anything, she launches into some ridiculous story about Bryce and Carter, trying to build her entertainment center when she first moved to Columbia. It’s ridiculous, in the most comforting way.

“Next time, I’ll build it,” I promise.

“Absolutely,” she agrees. “Now where was I?”

Somewhere around the moment they start throwing things at each other, I succumb to sleep.

I don't pull myself out of bed until around eleven. I clung to sleep as long as possible, but my need to check on Emmie won out. When I peek my head through the cracked door to her room, she's still fast asleep, with Lezak curled up beside her. He barely lifts his head to glare at me before settling back down. His message is clear: don't wake her up.

He probably needs to go out soon, but I trust the puppy to let me know when it's necessary. Leaving the door propped open, I head down the hall toward the living room, yawning as I go. I'm in desperate need of coffee.

Just as I pass the front door, a quick knock sounds. The sound is so quiet I'm not sure I would have heard it in any other room. I look out the window to see Mia standing on my porch, reusable grocery bags in both her hands.

I quietly open the door and motion her in.

Neither of us say anything as I shut the door and take some bags from her. She follows me into the kitchen, settling her bags on the island beside the ones I carried. Too curious for my own good, I look inside, and see everything you could ever want for a delicious breakfast.

"What's all this?" I keep my voice low, hoping not to wake Emmie up.

I take a second to look at Mia. With her dark hair thrown in a messy bun, no makeup on her face, and dressed in leggings, and a sports bra with a jacket thrown over it, she looks like she just rolled out of bed herself. I pull her into my arms.

She leans into my chest, wrapping her arms around me, keeping us as close as possible. I take a second to bury my face in her hair. Well, as much as I can with the bun on the top of her head.

For the first time since I got the phone call, I allow myself to relax, melting into her arms. We stay like that for a couple of minutes before she takes a step back, heading right for the bags.

"You both need to eat," she explains, pulling things out. "I wasn't sure what she would be in the mood for, so I got a little bit of everything."

"You know I have stuff here, right?" I tease, kissing her temple before helping her start to unload. "You didn't have to buy all this."

"Your protein shakes and power meals aren't going to be enough to sustain a teenage girl after the night she had. She's going to want comfort food."

"Okay then." I grin, looking over the array of food. "Tell me what to do."

She points to one of the bags we haven't touched yet. "There's fruit in there. Think you can throw together a fruit salad?"

With a roll of my eyes, I reach for the bag. "I can't mess things up with that, can I?"