Page 23 of Devious Love

She hides her face in her hands, her shoulders trembling. In this moment, I wonder if I’m a horrible person. I don’t feel even a little sympathy for her. I just want her to agree so I can go back to my room and start packing.

“Are you living in an apartment or a house?” Allan asks Dad.

“A house.”

“And the college will help you get her into school?”

He dips his chin. “Yes.”

“Mia,” Allan says my name softly, and I turn to look at him. “Do you really want to move to Phoenix? Yes, you’ll have your dad, but you’ll go to a new school and have to make new friends. And your brother and Dom won’t be there to look after you.”

It takes everything in me not to react tohisname. My heart hurts, though the rest of my body feels numb. All I need to do is close my eyes, and that redhead’s moans fill my head again.

“I understand. It’ll be challenging, but I want to live with my dad.”

Allan gives me a gentle smile. “Then I think we should let you.”

I nod, all the tension in my muscles releasing.

Mom straightens and drops her hands. She stares daggers at my dad. Clearly, she blames him for this, even though I told her in the beginning thatIasked. This ismychoice. She can barely stand me, but she’s upset I’m leaving? More than anything, I think she’s mad I’m choosing Dad over her.

She’s always been jealous of my bond with him, yet she’s never shown me unconditional love. She created this divide, not Dad. If it wasn’t for him and Matt, I don’t know what I’d do.

I’m doing her a favor by leaving. Now, she can focus all her attention on her new family.

“Mom.” Matt places his hand on hers. “Let her go. Mia wants to stay with Dad, and we need to respect her wishes.”

“But what if something happens? She’ll be all alone!”

Allan wraps his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll fly out to help her, or we’ll bring her home.” He looks at me warmly. “I may not be your dad, and I’d never want to replace him, but I love you like my own daughter.” Focusing on my mom again, he says, “I’ll do anything to keep her safe and happy. And now, for her to be happy, she needs to go and live with her father.”

Mom turns to her husband, her eyes red-rimmed.

“Luke is an amazing dad, always has been.” He nods at my dad. “If he tells you he can do this, he can.”

Tingling warmth spreads through my limbs, my heart full of gratitude for Allan. For months, I’ve been angry about the two of them getting together, and in that time, I’ve forgotten how much I like him. Honestly, remembering that now makes me feel bad about how I’ve treated him lately.

For a long moment, Mom is silent. The rest of us sit there, holding our breath, waiting for her answer.

Finally, she fixes her focus on me. “If you want to live with your dad, if you think you’ll be happier there, I won’t stop you.”She shifts her gaze to Dad. “If you promise to take care of her and make her well-being your top priority, I’ll agree.”

“I will. You don’t even need to ask me.”

She chews on her bottom lip. “We should get in contact with the local school, find out when she can start.”

“I did a little research on my way here. Looks like all we need to do is fill out some paperwork. I can have her bedroom set up in two weeks.”

“In two weeks?” Mom yelps. “Is?—”

“Monica, you promised,” Allan tells her firmly.

“Fine,” she snips. “Matt, Mia, go to your rooms. We have details to discuss.”

Without another word, Matt and I stand and hurry out of the room. Dad has my back, and from the looks of it, Allan does too, so I don’t think I have to worry about Mom backing out of the agreement. Even so, I just want to be out of this room.

“I’ll help you pack,” my brother says as we climb the stairs. “Want to spend as much time as I can with my little sister. If that’s okay with you, of course.”

My heart pangs. I really will miss him. “I’d really appreciate it.”