After I shut down the engine, I get out, taking the pizza with me through the garage. I hit the button to close the door then head up the stairs. Maxim doesn’t greet me at the door, and I know why when I see Hadley at the island, head tipped down with a glass of wine in front of her. Seeing her posture, I know she parked in the garage not thinking about what she was doing; her mind was on other shit.

Fuck.

I should have met her at her appointment, done a quick pulse check, and then decided if she was good to drive, especially after what just went down and what talking about it could bring up for her.

“Baby.” Her head comes up and her blank eyes meet mine, freaking me right the fuck out. “What’s going on?”

“My mom’s in the hospital.” At her statement, I pause and she lifts her glass of wine to her lips.

“Say that again?” I walk to the counter and set down the pizza.

“My dad had been calling me. I was fed up, didn’t want to deal with him, so I blocked his number from my phone. He tracked me down tonight when I got out of my appointment. He caught me at my car after I sent you the text to let you know I was heading home.”

“He told you your mom’s in the hospital?” I ask, getting close to her.

“Yes.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

She chews the inside of her cheek before answering. “He said he thinks she got ahold of Fentanyl pills. When he found her in her bed, she was barely breathing, her lips and nails were blue, and it was obvious she’d overdosed.” She takes a breath as I wrap her in my arms. “He couldn’t get her to wake up, so he called an ambulance. She’s been in the hospital for three days and hasn’t improved. The doctors told him that they don’t think she’ll make it much longer and that everyone needs to know so they can say goodbye.”

My eyes close as I rest my chin on top of her head. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“Me too,” she whispers.

“Do you want me to take you tonight?” I question, leaning back to look at her, but her eyes are pointed at my throat.

“No.” She shakes her head then glances up at me, looking conflicted. “But I know I need to go.”

“Then we’ll go.” I kiss the top of her head then release her. I help her into her coat then lead her to my truck and help her inside. She’s silent on the way to the hospital, but the moment I reach out and take hold of her hand, her fingers close tightly around mine.

I park near the entrance and lead her to the nurses’ station, letting them know who we’re looking for and getting a room number. When we make it to the door to her mom’s room, I stop her outside and turn her toward me. Getting her attention, I slide one hand around her back, the other around the nape of her neck.

“Cobi,” she starts, but I cut her off, tightening my hands where they’re wrapped around her.

“Whatever happens, you are not alone, baby. Remember that when we walk through those doors and back out of them when it’s over.” Her eyes warm and she nods. “I’m here for whatever you need.”

“Thank you.” Her bottom lip trembles, and my stomach muscles constrict at the sight. It kills me to see her in pain.

“It’s gonna be okay.”

“Okay,” she agrees softly.

I kiss her then let her go, taking her hand as she reaches for me. When we walk into the room, it’s empty except for the bed where her mother is lying on her back, the covers up to her shoulders. Her hair is almost the color of Hadley’s, with silver mixed in. It’s on top of her head in a bun, and her skin is so pale it looks almost blue. Even from the door, I can hear a rattle in her chest every time she takes a breath—a sound I know means she’s just like the doctors said, probably not going to last much longer.

I let Hadley set the pace and lead me to the bed, her steps slow, and I can feel her hand shaking. When we stop near her mom’s head, I slide my arm around her waist when she lets my hand go to reach out and touch the side of her mom’s face.

“I wish things had been different,” she says quietly, her words filled with pain, longing, sadness, and defeat. “I wish….” Before she can finish, she sobs and turns toward me, burying her face in my chest and wrapping her arms around me, clinging to me like a child who’s lost.

I don’t hesitate for a moment. I pick her up and carry her out of the room and the hospital, ignoring the looks from people as we pass. When we hit my truck, it takes some maneuvering to keep her in my arms and get the door open, but I get her inside and buckled up before I head around the back and get in behind the wheel.

When we’re back at my place, I carry her to bed and get her undressed and changed. Through it all, she silently cries, and then she cries some more as I curl myself around her and hold her until she falls asleep. Once I know she’s resting, I get up, take Maxim out, and make a few calls. A friend of my family, Justin, is my first call, and he gets me the number for her dad.

When the man answers, I can tell he’s drunk, and that pisses me off. I don’t get into that with him; I let him know that when his wife passes, he needs to contact me so I can tell his daughter. He agrees and I hang up. After that, I call Brie then my mom and my cousins, who have all been in constant contact with Hadley the last few days. When her mom does pass, regardless of their relationship, she’s going to need people around her who care.

After I hang up on the last call, I go get back into bed with her. The moment I do, she turns to me and fits herself against my side in her sleep. I hold her close and stay awake through the night so that if she wakes up I’m there to make sure she’s okay. She doesn’t wake up, not until my phone on the nightstand rings with a call from her dad, letting me know the hospital called to tell him that Charlene passed away.

Chapter 14

Hadley

SITTING ON LIZ AND Trevor’s very comfortable couch in their beautiful house, I scan the living room and kitchen, taking each person in. The space is crowded with Cobi’s entire family—aunts and uncles, cousins I met before today, and others I met just a few hours ago, along with some of their significant others—Brie, and Kenyon. Everyone is standing or sitting while chatting, eating, and drinking. All of them gathered together because of me.

My eyes catch on Harmony’s, and she gives me a sad but reassuring smile. I give her a small smile in return then look down at my lap, pulling in a breath. Today was my mother’s funeral. Not an actual funeral—my dad couldn’t afford to have one for her, and I could only help out so much with the cost of what we did have. The service was small; a few people from the bar my mom worked at showed up, along with Dad, some of his friends, then me, and this room full of people made up the rest.

Cobi’s parents’ pastor came to say a few words at the gravesite before my mother’s cheap casket was lowered into the ground, and his aunts all brought flowers to be tossed in on top before the earth was settled over her. It was nice, much nicer than my mom probably deserved.

At that thought, my throat gets tight, but not for the reasons it should. It’s tight, because over the last few days, I’ve had to accept that my mom’s and my relationship will never be more than what it was when she was alive. I didn’t really like her much. I never felt a bond or a connection to her. She was just my mom, the woman who gave birth to me, nothing more, and that’s a hard pill to swallow, especially after spending so much time with Cobi’s family.

It’s difficult at times to watch them interact, to see them tease each other and be affectionate. They all genuinely care about one another’s well-being and happiness. They are the definition of family—real family. Something I never experienced before.

When weight settles into my side, I lift my head and look at Brie.

“You okay?” she asks, studying me.

“Yeah.”

“Liar.” She grins, bumping her shoulder into mine. Then her expression turns serious. “I wish I knew what to say to make this easier for you, but I know there are no words to make it better.” She takes one of my hands, locking our fingers together. “But it will get easier. The more time that passes, the less pain you’ll feel every day.”