Free Unforgivably Broken (The Broken Series Book Two) by Maegan Abel Page B

keep my mind occupied. I silently worked, starting a load of laundry and packing my things back into my bag before stashing it in Zane’s closet. I pulled his bag off Conner’s bed and started putting his things away next, making sure both beds were made.
    By the time I changed the laundry loads, I’d run out of things to do. I was going to clean the bathroom but I dropped onto the foot of the bed instead. I needed to grab a pillow and blanket from the hall closet but doing that meant honestly facing a night without Zane and the memory of the fear I felt today burned almost as much as the fear itself. No doubt I would have nightmares, but that wasn’t his problem, it was mine.
    “Lee?” Tish tapped on the wall beside the open door. I could still see the cracks in the wood around the latch where Kas had broken it. Fuck, we really seemed to be destroying this house recently. “You good?”
    “Yeah, just about to grab a pillow and blanket for the couch,” I said with a smile. I didn’t know why I bothered. I didn’t want to lie to Zane but I couldn’t lie to Tish. He moved into the room, sitting beside me on the foot of the bed.
    “It’ll mean a lot of changes, you know. You okay with that?” he asked and I knew right away he meant Conner living here full time. I didn’t hesitate.
    “He’s worth it.”
    “Conner or Zane?”
    “Both of them. They’re worth it,” I answered, realizing I should’ve said that the first time.
    Tish nodded but didn’t get up to leave the room. He seemed to hesitate, which was unlike him, and I worried about what he was trying to build up to.
    “What?” I finally asked, tired of the anxiety.
    “You do know that in order for him to start this trial, the lawyers will run background checks on anyone living in the household where Conner will be residing, right?” he asked, but it wasn’t really a question because he knew the answer.
    My body turned cold at the thought and I shook my head, not sure what to say. Even if I’d known what to say, I’m not sure I could remember how to speak.
    “Hey. It’s okay, Lee.” Tish grabbed my shoulders, making me look at him. I could feel the panic and I knew it was written all over my face. “Listen, he already knows your name isn’t Lili. The rest of it, whatever it is, he’ll help you deal with it. You know that. We’ll all help you.”
    I tried to take in his words, knowing he was right but still feeling the dread at having to say the words, of having them judge me… or who I used to be.
    “Just be honest. That’s all you can do. The paperwork you got to get jobs here is good but it’s not worth lying about on something like this. If you lie and get caught, Zane could lose his son.”
    I was shaking my head before he finished speaking. No. It wasn’t worth it to lie. I would just tell the truth. He was worth it. They were worth it.
    “They’re worth it,” I said in a small voice. I swallowed and the sound of the dryer buzzing from down the hall broke the heavy silence that was becoming more weighted by the moment. I would have to tell them. I needed to tell them first, before I filled out any papers. If Zane wanted me to leave the house so my past didn’t complicate things for him legally, I would. I would do whatever it took to help him get his son, no matter what the cost.
    They were worth it.

I had expected Lizzie to flip out when I told her I had contacted a lawyer and she hadn’t disappointed. Even though she was told to stay calm and monitor her still too high blood pressure for the sake of her baby, she proceeded to scream and even throw a few punches. Her reaction, while completely over the top, was proof that somewhere deep down, she did care about Conner.
    I still didn’t feel guilty for fighting for him.
    I’d left her while she was still in a rage but at least she was home safe and hopefully she would have time to calm down.
    “Hey,” Lili’s soft voice floated into the bedroom and I glanced up from the