Mess Us Up – Jaxson Kidman Page 0,65

teeth.

God, I fucking love her.

I open the door and step into the house again.

Jolie follows me and lets out a gasp when she sees the boxes.

“Mac…?”

“She’s moving,” I say.

“Jolie,” Mama’s voice says before Jolie can ask me anything else.

Jolie looks at Mama.

Mama starts to close in on Jolie.

Jolie puts her hand out. “No. You’re not going to hug me and act confused.”

Shit.

Mama freezes. “I have a gun in my pocket, Jolie.”

“Then shoot me,” Jolie challenges.

“I’ll get away with it if I do.”

“I don’t care,” Jolie says.

Mama takes out the gun.

I see Jolie tense up.

I move forward to step into the middle of them.

But Mama puts the gun on the counter.

“Let’s talk,” she says. “I think it’s time.”

“I think so too,” Jolie says.

Mama waves her hand and we walk to the table.

When I sit down next to Jolie, she gets up and goes around the table to the other side.

“This, I don’t like it,” Mama says.

“I don’t care,” Jolie says.

“You’re vicious, Jolie,” Mama says.

“It’s called protecting myself.”

“Which you should do, sweetie,” I say.

Jolie lifts the middle finger on her left hand and that’s all for me.

“I said something,” Mama says. “When my mind was slipping. I said something really dangerous.”

“The truth?” Jolie asks.

Mama nods. “Yes. The truth. The truth is dangerous in life. In this life. That’s why I’m leaving. I have to leave. It’s time. Sticking around and doing what I’ve been doing is only going to get someone killed.”

Jolie and I look at each other.

I owe her a lot for saving me from what I wanted to do to Declan. If I had actually done it…

Jolie was right when it came to Declan.

And, honestly, having him alive and in my back pocket is a good thing.

“I know I’ve made some mistakes,” Mama says. “Some small. Some big. But all it takes is one to really fuck up the whole thing. And that mistake I made with a clear mind. I’m going to tell you exactly what happened with Declan.”

I stand up and walk around the table.

I stand behind Jolie and put my hand to her shoulder.

Mama stares forward at the table.

Jolie reaches up and touches my hand.

She doesn’t swat it away though.

She grips it tight.

“There’s a level of… I don’t even know.” Mama laughs. “You can’t just let someone in that easily. There’s so much risk to it. And especially with you, Jolie. You know you’re a risk. There’s no denying that. A beautiful woman like yourself. So innocent though. That’s the thing. But you did learn to shoot a gun. You understood when it was time to hide and wait. And from what I hear, you have had no problem making hard decisions for yourself.”

“Are you praising me now?” Jolie asks.

Mama laughs again. “Your shoulder is so cold, I’m wondering if we’re related. You don’t forgive so easily now. I like that about you, Jolie. Keep that. Use that. Never, ever just give in. Look, my mind is slipping. I don’t know what it’ll be like in a week or a month. I’m going to forget everyone. Forget everything. I’m going to lose myself. I’m going to die but be alive. That’s not a good feeling.”

“Fuck, Mama, don’t say it like that,” I say.

“It’s the truth,” Jolie says.

Mama points at Jolie. “It’s the truth. That’s right.”

I tighten my hand on Jolie’s shoulder.

It hurts to see Mama like this.

“I told Declan to go to your place, Jolie,” Mama says. “I wanted him to scare you. Yes, I wanted him to chase you away. I saw the look in Mac’s eyes. I fear distraction. I knew something was wrong with me. I’ve been going to the doctor for a while now. And it’s getting worse. I didn’t want Mac not focused.”

“Do you realize what that did to me?” Jolie asks.

Mama nods. “Of course I do. It scared you. But not away. You ran right to Mac. You could have pushed him away but you didn’t. That’s when I realized this was real.”

“Why didn’t you say something then?” I ask.

“There was no need,” Mama says. “You were focused, Mac. You were in love. Think about where it all went from there. The protection. How intense it all got. The decisions you made on your own. Now, if you want the other side of it all…” Mama slides her left hand toward Jolie. “I kind of fell in love with Jolie myself.”

“How sweet,” Jolie says.

“How sweet is right,” Mama says. “You’re a pain in the ass, Jolie. You don’t listen. You tell