Falling Into Love with You (The Hate-Love Duet #2) - Lauren Rowe Page 0,66

tell him to forget yesterday—to say we’ll press the ‘reset’ button, again. But, this time, as much as my heart wants to ignore the red flags and bury my head in the sand and enjoy the ride, my head won’t allow such foolishness.

“Just so you know,” Savage says. “When we walk through this door, Mimi is going to fling her little hummingbird body at you like a missile.” He chuckles. “I’m sure she’s sitting on the couch, watching TV right now. And the minute she hears our voices in the foyer, she’s going to hobble over to us and lose her ever-loving mind.”

I giggle. “Sounds amazing. I think I can handle being attacked by a hummingbird. Bring it, Mimi.”

With a huge smile, Savage takes a deep breath and opens the front door. We walk inside the house and into a beautiful foyer, where we’re surrounded on all sides by splendor—a huge wooden staircase directly in front of us, and two well-appointed rooms to either side.

“Whoa,” I say. “It looks straight out of a movie! Did you hire a designer?”

“No, I bought it this way. It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

“It’s perfect.”

“Hello?” Savage booms. “We’re here!” He pauses, a huge smile on his face. And then, when the house remains quiet as a mouse, he yells, “Sasha? Mimi? We’re here!” We wait. But nothing happens. “She must be watching TV in the family room. It’s hard to hear back there. Come on.” He grabs my hand, and off we go through a fancy living room into another room appointed with more modern-looking, comfy furniture and a large-screen TV. But it’s empty. We head into the next room—a huge, modern kitchen. And, again, there’s nobody here.

“Where the hell is everyone?” Savage mutters. “Mimi always watches TV around this time—and never in bed. Mimi says it makes her sleep better at night if she spends most of the day outside her bedroom.”

“Adrian,” a voice says behind us. And when we turn around, it’s Savage’s pretty cousin, Sasha Wilkes—a Mother Earth type I’ve spoken to several times on FaceTime. Not surprisingly, given that she shares genes with Savage, Sasha is a beauty with dark hair and eyes. Also, from what I’ve seen, she’s someone who’s earned Savage’s full trust and admiration.

“Sasha! Whew. I was getting nervous.” He bounds across the room toward his cousin and hugs her. “Is Mimi watching TV upstairs?”

Sasha swallows hard. “Yeah, she’s in her room. Sit down, sweetie.”

Savage’s body stiffens. “What’s wrong?”

“Sit down.”

His chest heaves. “Just tell me, Sasha.”

“Sit down. Hello, Laila. It’s so good to see you.”

“You, too.” I hug her and take a seat on a couch next to Savage, who looks like he’s suddenly having trouble breathing.

After taking a chair across from us, Sasha says, “Adrian, Mimi hasn’t gotten out of bed in over a week.”

“What?” Savage whisper-shouts.

Sasha’s face contorts, like she’s holding back tears. “She hasn’t been doing well, Ady. Even before the move, she was in a state of rapid decline. But now that she’s here, it’s like she’s exhaling with relief. It’s like she thinks she’s reached the finish line.”

“No,” Savage says, his voice tight. “No, Sasha. That’s not why I bought Mimi the house—for her to give up! I bought it so she’d have a reason to keep going!”

“It doesn’t work that way, honey. She says she’s ready to go now.”

“No!” he shouts, this time not whispering. “No! We’ll tell her no. Have you told her no?”

Sasha smiles through tears. “Actually, I’ve been telling her yes. I’ve told her she’s free to go, whenever she wants. I’ve told her we’ll be okay and she’ll always be with us.”

“No, Sasha!” Savage pulls on his hair, his body convulsing. “Why the fuck did you tell her that shit, without asking me first? I never agreed to you telling her that! You should have consulted me!”

“She’s in pain. I don’t want her to feel pain anymore.”

“Well, neither do I, obviously! But Mimi can’t go yet.” He chokes up. Pauses. Pulls himself together. And finally says, “I still need her, Sasha. You don’t. But I do.”

I scootch over to Savage on the couch and put my arms around him and he pulls me fiercely into him, his body wracked with tremors.

Tears spill down my cheeks as I hold him.

“Why didn’t you at least tell me she hasn’t been getting out of bed?” Savage chokes out, his voice tight and pained. “You let me think everything’s been fine. You said she was tired because of the move. You didn’t say