Page 55 of Melting for the Firefighter
“You did nothing wrong.”
“She’s my mother.”
“And you’re allowed to protect yourself.”
Her fingers twist in the back of my shirt.
“What if she really needs me?”
“She needs to learn that loving you does not mean using you.”
Cora presses her face harder against my chest.
I rub one hand over her back and wait.
There is nothing I can fix with tools, money, or force.
All I can do is stay.
Her breathing gradually evens.
When she leans back, her eyes are red.
“You make it sound easy.”
“It’s easy to protect you.”
Her gaze searches mine.
“What happens when I don’t need protection?”
The question lands exactly where she cannot see the damage.
What happens when she does not need me?
I know what I should say.
I want you even when you need nothing from me.
The words are there.
Before I can force them out, my phone rings.
Jordan.
I step back and answer.
“What?”
His silence warns me before he speaks.
“Someone came by the station asking for you.”
My hand tightens around the phone.
“Who?”
“Vanessa.”
