Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 29

I stumble into the car, mumbing a greeting under my breath.

"Finally," Michael groans, putting his phone away. "Geez, what took you so..." He looks at me. "Did something happen?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Besides the suffering of these courses? No."

He stares at me for a while. I stare back long enough to not draw suspicion, and then I turn slowly towards the window right before the waterworks start again.

"You're sure you're fine?" he asks.

I nod. I don't look at him.

"Mia?"

"Oh my gosh, are we ever going to get home?" I laugh. I pull my phone out. Another excuse to not look at him.

"Okay, okay," he starts the car. "You know though-"

"I know, Michael," I groan.

"Just saying," He puts his hands up. "I can whoop some ass. Remember when that guitar boy-"

"Don't remind me." I roll my eyes.

He smirks. "A brother deserves props for doing his job right. Let me have this, Mia."

"Your job?" I ask quietly, teasing.

"Yes, my job." He turns to me. "Scratch that, It's my career to protect you from boys, or mean teachers, or hell, the lunch food if that's what's threatening your life. I know it's threatening mine right about now." He smiles, testing the waters.

I chuckle.

He chuckles too. "See? I'm good at this." He puts his hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. "If something happened-"

"Nothing happened."

"If it did, you can talk to me."

I don't say anything. I can't.

He sighs. He stays quiet for a while. "Remember that time when I crashed the car and you didn't tell Mom and Dad? We got it fixed without them knowing and everything was okay. That was cool of you. I can be cool. I won't tell anyone. But just like I had to tell you then, if something happened, you have to tell me now."

She looks away. "Alright then." She turns herself and her cocoon away from my presence. A silent command to leave her be. I can only assume she's coming down soon. Assume being the operative word.

I comply. After all, that's how I was just two hours ago, and Michael's antics didn't make it any better. As I'm leaving, I hear her resume her usual facetime chat with her old friend. They've been close since two or three moves ago, which is good. It's a sign that the friendship will last. Megan sighs, "Girl, let me tell you. These men just want a piece of me or something."

My eyes fly open.

"Girl, I've been trying to tell you. They're only after one thing."

I nearly fly back into the room. I barely keep myself back from the doorway. What do these children know?

"What's that?" Megan asks.

Her friend, Peggy, laughs. "I don't know. The girl didn't say it on Enchanted."

I sigh, my faith in humanity restored. I can't take anymore "surprises," so I keep moving quickly. I make my way downstairs, following the path Michael already took the second Mom screamed, "Dinner's ready."

I'm still getting used to the house, the way it takes some time to. I remember with the old house how quickly I could run down the stairs on autopilot. My body naturally anticipated every step, avoided every creaking part or chip or nail. It just knew. I just knew.

Now, here, I carefully take each step one by one. I hold the railing. I stare down at my feet, watching myself. I can't trust myself to walk. I turn, knowing where everything is but at the same time not quite knowing where everything is. It's like my body is thinking, "Okay this is nice, but when do we go home?"