“What?” I hadn’t heard what she said, but she was looking at me like she was debating something.
“You girls are going to be the death of me, you realize that, right? Monroe wouldn’t tell me what was going on, but I know that girl was running from a broken heart. It was why I gave her the chance to run as far as she could without sending your dad into a total emotional meltdown. And even then, it was a close call.”
“She wouldn’t tell me anything either,” I grumbled, hating that my other half was leaving me out. But then again, she always had when it came to the stalker.
“Maybe you should run toward your broken heart, though, Mila.”
“I don’t have a broken heart, Mom,” I told her honestly. “My heart is…missing.”
“Ah, honey.” She walked around the table and wrapped her arms around me. “I know how that feels. Really, I do. Which is why I want you to go and get your heart back.”
“What?” I cried, looking at her like she’d lost her mind, even as excitement and hope bubbled in my veins. “You mean that?”
“Go for the weekend. Have a little fun.” She gave me a big squeeze before releasing me. “And this time, make sure you get his damn number.”
“But what about Dad?” There was no way he was going to be on board with me flying to New York for a weekend to meet up with some guy who might not even want to see me again.
She exhaled heavily. “It wouldn’t be the first time I lied to him for you, Mila. And as long as I tell him you went to visit a friend—and leave out where this friend lives—it wouldn’t really be a lie. Now, would it?”
With a happy squeal, I threw my arms around her neck. “You are the absolute best mother any girl could have. I love you so much, Mom.”
“I love you too, Mila.” She kissed my cheek then nodded toward the table. “Let’s get this table set. Your dad will be home soon. After we eat, you can pack while I get you a plane ticket.”
???
Maverick drove me to the airport the next morning. I’ve never been a bubbly person before, but I annoyed him half to death on the drive because I was practically dancing in the passenger seat with excitement.
By that night, I would get to see Lyric again. Not a picture of him from the past, or one of his twin, which only annoyed me because Luca was not my Lyric.
My brother grumbled that I’d been replaced by a doppelganger because I’d gone from moping around the house to so happy I couldn’t sit still overnight. I couldn’t blame him. I hadn’t been myself since we’d come back from New York. But maybe once I saw Lyric again, and we figured this thing out—maybe even decided we could play the whole long-distance relationship game—I wouldn’t be so moody.
Mav pulled to a stop at the front entrance of the airport and turned to glare at me. He looked so much like Dad, it was scary at times. For the longest time, Mav hadn’t known how to handle his height, and it wasn’t until he was sixteen and started lifting weights that he’d begun to fill out. But even when he’d looked like a scrawny bean pole, River couldn’t keep her hands off him. “You better be careful. And if you need anything, call Garret. He’s the only one I trust in that city to help you if you run into trouble.”
“What’s he going to do?” I asked with a snort.
“He might be younger than us, but the kid is resourceful.” Leaning over, he hugged me hard. “It’s going to be weird as fuck with both you and Mon gone. What the hell am I supposed to do without either of you around?”
Spending nine months in a womb together had bonded us. Maverick might go his own way and do his own thing most of the time, but he would be eternally connected to both Monroe and me. The three of us needed each other to survive just as much as we needed food and water.
I hugged him back, inhaling his scent to hopefully get me by for the next few days I was going to be gone. The comforting smell of his cologne calmed me, and I smacked a kiss on his cheek befo
re pulling back and reaching for the door handle. “Love you, Mav. Stay out of trouble.”
“That’s my line, Mil,” he said with a smirk. “Be good. Don’t do anything that will get you arrested.”
Blowing him a kiss, I grabbed my purse and carry-on out of the back seat of his car. But then I was sprinting inside, too excited to get on that plane to spend extra time telling my brother how much I loved him.
Chapter 10
Mila
I was a confident person, so being assailed by nervousness was a rare thing for me. But it seemed Lyric brought out that kind of vulnerability in me.
I didn’t even check in to the hotel where Mom had made a reservation for me. I hoped I wouldn’t even need that room once I saw Lyric, so it would have been a waste of money anyway.
From the airport, I grabbed a taxi to Branch House of Ink. It was already dark out by the time the driver pulled up outside the posh brownstone. A piece of welded metal on the sidewalk in front of the building held a plaque talking about Dustin Branch. I barely glanced at it before my eyes drifted to the front window.
The glass was frosted, offering privacy. Masculine black script across the frost declared this Branch House of Ink with an OPEN sign turned on.