Defending Morgan (Mountain Mercenaries #3)(56)

“She hasn’t calmed down on the smothering then, huh?” Arrow asked.

“No. Not in the least. I swear I can’t go to the bathroom without her asking me where I’m going and if I’m all right and if I need anything. I should be happy that she cares so much, but it’s annoying. And then I feel guilty that I’m annoyed.”

Arrow hated that she had such conflicted feelings toward her mom. He wasn’t sure what he thought about Ellie, himself. She hadn’t exactly put her best foot forward when they’d first met, but he was trying to give her a second chance. Changing the subject, he said, “Right. So I have something to tell you and a question to ask.”

“Oh shit.”

“It’s nothing bad . . . well, not really.”

“Okay.”

“Trust me, Morgan. I’d never do or say anything that would cause you distress if I could help it,” Arrow told her.

“I know. It’s just . . . today was hard. And I miss having friends to talk to. And my mom is confusing me. You know I talked to my dad yesterday, and I’m stressed about that too. It’s just been a weird day.”

“I’m sorry I’m not there to help you end it on a better note,” Arrow said.

“Me too. Although in a way you are here with me and helping the day get better,” she said.

“You’re sweet.”

“No, I’m not. I’m a badass survivor who isn’t going to let shit get me down anymore,” she retorted.

“Fuck yeah, you are,” Arrow agreed. “And there’s nothing that turns me on more than a strong woman who knows who she is and what she wants.”

“I’m not sure about those last two things, but I’m trying to be stronger . . . at least outwardly.”

“Trust me, you are, beautiful. Inside and out.”

“You always know exactly what to say.”

“I try. How are you feeling at the moment? You said your stomach hurt this morning. Do you still have a headache?”

“Yeah. My stomach feels a little better. I made some soup earlier, and I’m trying to drink a lot of OJ. Mom’s been buying it by the gallon for me. It’s been forever since I’ve had it. I’d forgotten how much I love it, even if it’s almost too sweet for me. I’ve been watering it down, and that makes it more palatable.”

“I’m sorry you’re sick, beautiful,” Arrow said.

“It’s okay. I guess it’s the stress of adjusting to normal life. And that’s sad because it’s not like I’m really getting out much, but I’ve had to interact with more people recently than I had to in the past twelve months combined. Now . . . what did you have to tell me, and what’s the question?”

“Nina’s mom talked to Rex today. She’s having a hard time.”

“A hard time? How? What’s wrong?” Morgan asked.

“She’s not sleeping well at night and is having nightmares.”

“That sounds familiar,” Morgan muttered.

Arrow hated that for her, but kept going. “She wakes up at night screaming your name. She’s convinced that the bad men—her words—have found you and have taken you away again. She thinks it’s her fault, and no matter how many times her mom tells her that you’re safe, that the bad men don’t have you, she refuses to believe it.”

“Oh shit,” Morgan said. “I need to see her. If I leave tonight I can be there by morning. I’ll have to rent a car, but—”

“Morgan,” Arrow interrupted. “Take a breath.”

He heard her inhale then say, “Sorry. I just . . . I hate to even think of her that way. She was so scared when she was thrown into that room with me. Every time one of the men came to the door, they’d threaten to take her if I didn’t do what they wanted. They learned pretty fast that I’d be extra compliant if they threatened Nina. I didn’t think she really understood what was going on, but I guess I should have. She’s smarter than I gave her credit for.”

“My question was going to be if you’d consider coming back up here for a while and maybe going to therapy with Nina. I think if she sees you on a regular basis, and you guys talk about what happened together, that she might relax and she could heal faster,” Arrow said. “But I can tell I don’t even need to ask.”

“No, you don’t.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, as though she was scared if she spoke too loudly, her mom would hear her from wherever she was. “I’m not happy here. I love my mom, but I miss you. And I’d like to get to know Allye and Chloe better.”

“I can come down and pick you up tomorrow,” Arrow said, his entire body sagging with relief. He hadn’t thought she’d refuse, but hearing her say the words was enough to make his stress levels even out.

“Awesome,” Morgan breathed.

“I’d love it if you stayed with me, but I also talked to Allye and Gray, and they said you were more than welcome to crash at their house. I’m sure Ro and Chloe would be happy if you stayed at their place too. All I’m saying is that you have options, beautiful.”

“Do you want me to stay with Allye or Chloe?” she asked, the uncertainty easy to hear in her voice.

“Fuck no,” Arrow said. “That night I held you in my arms on the couch was one of the best sleeps I’ve had in months, simply because I was near you. I want you here, but I don’t want you to feel any pressure about anything. You know how I feel about you, about how I want our relationship to be . . . I haven’t hidden that from you. But the last thing I want is for you to agree to do something you’re not comfortable with. When I say there’s no pressure about this, I mean it. If you decide to stay with Allye, I’m okay with that, but I’m guessing Gray will get sick of seeing my ugly mug. Same goes for Ro if you decide to stay at his place.”