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"Yeah," I replied, curling theof coffee into my chest

"He had to be exhausted," Mom added

"Susan, you aze flicked toher aroing to be an asshole?"

Yep That wason it"

"Then I suppose I can give you two a minute You want some coffee?"

"I’d love so at his lips

"Okay, then Be nice and don’tup onto her toes, she peckedaway

Bradyokay?"

"Yeah Of course," I answered "What about you?"

His green eyes warmed "It’s weird Ya know? He’s et nervous every time he so much as looks at me," I confessed and immediately felt aard about it "IIn all the age progression photos they made over the years, he always looked like ot your chin"

He chuckled and scrubbed his jaw "Poor guy"

I took another sip and turned er between us Though there was nothing comfortable about it

"Thank you," Brady rasped

With wide eyes, I snapped aze to his "For what?"

He cleared his throat "I felt like I was going to die thistreat I literally couldn’t breathe the whole time"

I patted his arht in, while I stood there, paralyzed by fear that I’d just gotten hiain" His voice cracked as he covered his"That’s my job It’s different for me I’ll teach you It won’t be so scary next time"

He nodded "I don’t want there to be a next ti to be a lot of next times He’s sick, Brady Really sick"

He hooked his arathered me into his side My body was stiff, but I allowed him the contact

But it was all for hi ar into the top of h he could read my mind, Brady said, "I knohich is e need to talk about Porter Reese"

My heart lurched Stepping away fro the door shut, I left Lucas peacefully sleeping inside

"What about hi to do with that asshole"

And just like that, our one

I rolled my eyes and crossed oing to have this conversation? I agreed to the protection order, didn’t I?"

"You did" He took an ominous step toward me "But then, an hour later, you let our son text that ht "How do you know that?"

"The sa your phone up in the ht"

Now, that was news to me I had no idea where my phone was When I’d last seen it, it was on the end table in the living roo, I’d lost track of basically everything else Clearly, Brady had not

"You went through my phone?" I hissed

He cocked his head to the side and leveled hforward until ere nose to nose

My mom suddenly appeared between us "No way Break it up, you two We are not doing this today" She took my coffee from my hand when I refused to back down

"Say it, Charlotte," Brady deht!" I snapped