Page 37 of The Loves We Lost

“Mr. Niro made us cake for breakfast.”

“Technically it’s got apple in it, so it’s healthy,” Niro says.

Viola smiles. “I suppose when you’re on vacation, you can break the rules a little, right, Ave?”

Avery grins. “Right, Momma.”

It pisses me off that they’re so in tune with each other. So I cut a piece of cake, slap it onto a plate, hand it to Viola. “Come with me,” I snap. “Niro, watch Avery.”

“Will do. I’ll teach her knife throwing.”

Viola gasps. “You won’t do—”

“Joking,” Niro says, throwing up his hands.

I storm back to my room and am immediately hit with the scent of Vi. “What the fuck happened before you came here?” I ask when she closes the door behind her.

“So, you’ve cooled down since last night, then?” Viola asks.

“Who arethe bad men?”

Viola sighs and sits down on the bed, placing her untouched plate on the bedside table. “I don’t know. My friend Emily runs the local bakery, and two men arrived asking where Vi Graydon lived. I don’t keep my writing career a secret. As they bought cupcakes, an old lady I know thought she was being helpful by telling them my address. It made Emily feel weird, so she called to warn me. It was enough time for us to hide.”

“Fuck,” I curse. I’m suddenly overwhelmed with the need to ensure the two of them are safe. “That’s why Avery was talking about cupcakes and hiding with spiders.”

Viola nods, but there’s a vulnerability in her eyes that I can’t shake. I want to stay mad at her almost as much as I want to put my arms around her and tell her it’s all going to be okay.

“They were big, one bald, tattooed. I have a doorbell camera, so I have images.” Her voice wavers. I can hear the fear in it. She searches for something on her phone, then hands it to me.

The video starts and I hear everything. “You sure this is the right place? ... That’s what the dog walker said ... Cupcake delivery ... Don’t see that Outlaw’s bike.”

My chest tightens, a knot of panic and fear for my two girls.Fuck. I shake my head. Vi isn’t mine, but Avery is. She’s ours. And I don’t want my daughter without a mother.

“Don’t see the Outlaw’s bike,” I repeat. “That’s why you’re here. Because you think they came looking for you because of me.”

Viola looks me square in the eyes. “Yes, I do. But what I don’t get is how they knew. The only people who know you’re Avery’s father are my parents. And how the hell do I protect Avery from whatever trouble you’ve brought my way?”

14

VIOLA

Ineed to be honest. In all things. It’s time.

“After all these years, you’ve brought trouble to my door, and I hate you for it.”

“You hid my daughter from me, and I hateyouforthat.”

I have no idea why that’s my breaking point, but the tears come, and I could no sooner stop them than stop the tide. The past two weeks have been a roller coaster. From the shock of seeing Miles at the book signing to the fear I felt when I heard the two men outside my front door talk about finding an outlaw. I’ve kept it together, for Avery.

And now . . .

“Fuck, Vi,” Miles says as he tugs me to my feet and pulls me to him. He wraps his arms around me and pushes his hands into my hair, which somehow makes everything worse.

And yet still I cling to him like I’m drowning and he’s the only thing that can keep me afloat. I hate that to stay safe, I’m going to have to fight fire with fire. I hate that I’m going to have to move, take Avery from her school, hide, and figure out whatever trail led them to me.

Miles’s arms are wound tight around me. He smells of soap and leather. I press my ear to his chest and try to focus on the solid beat of his heart.

I missed him.