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know,” she says quietly. “But I’m not like you, Beau. I don’t have your willpower, or that inner goodness of yours.”
    I run hand through my hair. “Willpower has a lot to do with it, but inner goodness? Inner goodness has nothing to do with becoming an addict, or even staying one. It’s a combination of things in and out of our control.” I suck in my lip ring for a minute, thankful I put it back in before heading here. “I don’t want to get into this with you. I said I’m here to help you, and that’s it.”
    “You still love me, don’t you?”
    Turning to look at her, I take in her dark hair, the lavender shadows under her blue eyes... at the most perfect pair of lips I thought I ever kissed. She’s thin to the point of gaunt, the hospital gown practically swallowing her. There’s a fresh bruise the exact size of a man’s hand on her upper arm. She looks nothing like the girl I met at seventeen. The girl I fell head over heels for... I rub the back of my neck and wait for the memories to wash over me, to paint over this pitiful scene of the mother of my child lying in a hospital bed because of an overdose.  I want to see her hair shine, her eyes sparkle, and her lips rosy again. I want to touch warm, plump skin that’s healthy and alive. I want to hear her laugh and tease me.
    But memories stay back, like our current situation is a mile of sandbags holding them back. She doesn’t change for me. She doesn’t morph into the girl I fell in love with. Instead, she stays as she is—a selfish addict.
    I glance at Mia. She’s staring in complete fascination at the screen of the heart monitor. She’s healthy, full of life, and happy—a fat little cherub sitting in her mother’s lap. The contrast between them breaks my heart.
    Paisley doesn’t want me, not my love... not my money, or fame, or anything else I’d be willing to give. It’s time I let go of what could have been and concentrate on what will be. I will have Mia in my life. I will be her dad.
    Nothing else matters.
    “I love Mia, and if I help you, then I’m helping her.”
    Her lower lip trembles, but I feel nothing other than pity. “You love Mia, but not me?”
    I gaze into Paisley’s blue eyes, eyes I thought I’d be staring into forever with. Let her go, Beau . “Yes.”

Chapter Four
Landry
    T wo months later
    I squirm a bit in my chair while Meagan’s Aunt Kimmie looks over my application packet. I filled it out months ago, but she hasn’t needed me for a job until now.
    It’s perfect. One child, under a year old, live –in care, so I won’t have to move back home, and it includes an undisclosed salary as well as full benefits.
    Her call came at just the right time, too. I graduated a week ago, but the state job had gone to another person and I hadn’t been able to find another job to replace the income I’d earned at King’s. 
    “Do you have a current passport, Ms. Basnight?” Kimmie Farnsworth asks, her smile bright. She’s wearing signature Lily Pulitzer, a bright pink and green floral sheath dress. Her dark hair is in a soft chignon, and diamonds flash in her ears.
    “Yes, ma’am.  It’s only a year old. I got it when Meagan and I went to the Bahamas for Spring Break our junior year.” My one big splurge in college. I can’t help but wonder why I would need a passport.
    “How nice.” She closes the file containing my application and set it in front of her. “There’s only one other qualified candidate.”
    I frown. “Oh, I thought I had the job.”
    “You’ve made it through the application process, but the final decision rests with the family.” She folds her hands together. “I’m a little nervous about you, to be honest, because of your age, but all my other girls, except for Mrs. Williams, are already placed, and my client doesn’t have a lot of time.”
    My heart sinks, but I’m determined to get this job. I need this job. “I understand, but as you can see from college transcripts, my