Supporting Miriela

I kissed Brennan’s lips softly before climbing off his lap. “Do you want to walk with me?”

“Yes. I don’t want to let you out of my sight if I can avoid it.”

I beamed at him as he took my hand as we walked out of the room. “I’m really proud of you, Brennan, for letting Nathan have some freedom to help Miri. I know how much Eden means to you.”

He shrugged as he pulled me closer. “I don’t want to stay here forever, Leah. I want to explore the world with you.”

“We will.”

We fell silent, and once again I was gobsmacked by how comfortable it was. When we arrived at Miriela’s house, Nathan was pacing on the front porch while he waited for me. As I walked up to the house, he met me at the base of the stairs.

“I don’t like this, Phoenix,” he told me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “What don’t you like about it?”

“Her leaning on you. What’s going to happen to her when you leave? We both know it’s coming.”

I crossed my arms over my chest as I narrowed my eyes on him. “I’m not going to just desert her, Nathan. She didn’t desert me when I needed her.”

He matched my stance in front of the stairs, obviously irritated with me. “I should be the one she leans on. I’ll be consistent.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, well, I’m her best friend. We have something that you’ll never have.”

“And what’s that?” He grumbled.

“A trust built from a shared trauma. Now, if you will excuse me, she asked for me.”

I walked around him, ignoring his angry muttering. I knew his heart was in the right place, but I also knew why he was jealous. It was the same reason that Brennan fought Kaden over me. Love made you want to be the only one who meant anything to the person you loved. I pasted a smile onto my face as I entered the house.

“Hey, Dream. How are you feeling?” I asked.

“He’s mad at me. Isn’t he?” She inquired worriedly, twisting her hands together.

“Who? Nathan?”

“Yes.”

“No, honey. He’s frustrated and just worried about you. He thinks that I am going to leave and that you will fall apart when I do. He doesn’t want that for you. He’s very protective over you. And I know that when I do have to leave, he will make sure you will be okay.”

She swallowed hard. “Are you leaving me?”

I took her hand, smiling at her. “Not for good, Miri. I do have to go get Sugar, and then there’s the wedding that I’m planning. Well, the wedding that I will be planning. I will come back and check on you. I am also going to leave my cell phone here for you so anytime you want to contact me, you can.”

“I can’t do this without you,” she whimpered.

I took her other hand in mine, holding them between us as I looked into her eyes. “Yes, you can, Miri, but you won’t have to. I’ll be back and forth. Now that I’ve found you again, I’m not letting you go. Besides, between you and me, Eden will always be R. H. M.'s baby. He’s never going to fully let it go.”

She shook her head. “But—”

“You will be okay. While I’m not here, Nathan will be. And I will only be a call away. I promise you that you will be okay. Eden will make sure of it. Nathan and I will too. It’s okay to need someone, Miri. The longer you’re here, the more independent you will become. Trust me, very soon, you will forget all about me while you’re out there bossing your cat around and falling in love with yourself all over again.”

Her face immediately brightened. “I really did like that cat.”

I squeezed her hands before letting them go. “Let’s go get him and bring him home. You can cuddle with him all night and let him heal your heart.” I gave her a sly smile. “Maybe Nathan can help with that too. But first the cat.”

I put her hand on the crook of my elbow as I led her out of the house, chatting about Eden and regaling her with tales of my adventures I’vr had there. She listened in awe as I described how Brennan bought books as an apology. When I was done with the story, she smiled a little.

“Those were your books? I was wondering. I should have known, though. You loved your romance books.”

I grinned at her. “I wonder who got me started on them. You can read them if you want.”

“I’ll have to ask Nathan.”

I bit back my immediate response of, ‘No, you don’t. Just read them.’ I didn’t want to boss her around. I was loving the fact that this was the second time she was out of the house in just the span of three hours. She stopped outside the door of the shelter, glancing at me anxiously.

“Is that man still in there?” She whispered.

“I don’t know, Dream, but even if he is, he won’t hurt you. I promise. He’s Rose’s husband, and he is really a sweet guy. He never hurt me in any way. He has been nothing but kind to me. Do you want to go home?” I asked softly.

“No. I want my cat.”

I nodded as I opened the door. As we walked in, Taco walked out of the back room, causing Miri to grasp my arm tightly as she hid behind me. He immediately stepped back.

“Hey, Phoenix. Rose and Doc stepped out for a few minutes. Did you need something?” He inquired, keeping his voice calm and quiet.

“Actually, I did. We were hoping to take the gray cat home. Would that be okay?”

“Yes. If you want to get him, I’ll prepare the paperwork to be signed. I trust you remember where the carriers are and how to fill out the adoption papers.”

I nodded. “Yes, and I will make sure the carrier gets back to you.”

“Perfect. Go on back.”

I walked slowly past him, trying to keep as much space between us as I could, while Miri practically moved on top of me the entire way to the cat room. Once inside, she quickly caught the gray cat, not that it was hard considering he had to be at least 15 years old, while I grabbed a carrier. When the cat was situated in the carrier, we made our way back to the front. Miri let out a sigh of relief when Taco was nowhere in sight. After showing her how to fill out the papers, we started the five-minute walk back to her house. I couldn’t help but smile at the way she cradled the carrier to her chest.

When we got back to the house, I gave Brennan a small wave before following her inside, giggling a little when she gasped as we entered the kitchen. One of the counters had been completely covered in things for the cat. Food, litter, bowls, a litter box, toys, treats, a scratching board, and even a small fluffy cat bed.

“Who brought all of this stuff?” She asked.

“Nathan. R. H. M. probably helped him bring it here, but I can almost guarantee you that it was Nathan’s idea,” I told her.

She reached out to touch the bed, running her hand along the entire thing before sighing. “I wonder what I’ll have to do to pay for it.”

I spun her around, looking into her eyes as fury filled me. “You will not have to do anything but heal. I told you that here you will be provided for without expectation of repayment. Nobody will ask you to do anything that you don’t want to do. Please, believe me, Miri. And if someone pressures you into doing something that you don’t want to do, all you have to do is tell me, even if I’m not here when it happens, and I will come back and punch them in the throat!”

Her eyes widened. “You punch people in the throat?”

“No, but I was taught how to do it. And for you, I will punch them in the throat. If you want, I can bring Maddie here, and she can teach you to punch people too. She’s actually done it.”

“Who’s Maddie?”

“R. H. M.’s sister-in-law,” I answered slowly, not wanting to be totally honest with her about Nathan and Maddie’s relationship.

It wasn’t my business to tell, and I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. As I was kicking myself for bringing Maddie up, she set about filling the bowls with water and food before setting them on the floor. I let out a relieved sigh as she seemed to have not noticed my hesitation. I helped her finish setting up the cat’s things before hugging her.

“When are you leaving?” She asked.

“Probably tomorrow, but I will be back the day after if you need me.”

She took a deep breath. “I can contact you whenever I want?”

I nodded. “Yes. I will tell Nathan.”

She sighed before hugging me again. “When is your wedding date?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

She hesitated for a moment before meeting my eyes. “Can I be a bridesmaid?”

I beamed at her. “Of course! I can’t imagine getting married without you by my side.”

“Can you make the date far out enough so that I can come?”

I nodded. “Of course. But don’t feel like you have to rush because of me.”

“I won’t, but it will be helpful to have a goal to focus on.”

“Yes, it does.” I kissed her cheek. “Goodnight, Miri. If you need me, just reach out, okay?”

“I will. Goodnight, Leah. And thank you.”

I squeezed her hand again before walking out of the house, rolling my eyes when I passed Nathan, who was hurrying up to the house. As soon as I reached the gate, where Brennan was waiting, he picked me up. I wrapped myself around him as he carried me back to the office. When he laid me back on the bed, I reached up for him, tugging on his shirt until he let himself fall on the bed to kiss me. I giggled a little as I looked up at him as he held himself up off me.

“Brennan?”

“Yes, Leah?”

I walked my fingers up his chest as I murmured, “You have done things through my love language since I have gotten back. I think it is time that we did things through your love language. Don’t you think so too?”