Bad Boy Brawler (Alpha Bad Boy Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

in the book and ends it with me being fired. Right then, that’s when I lose it. Can’t breathe. The walls start to close in on me and sounds are all muffled and running together.
    I feel James’ little arms wrapped around me and he starts crying, and for the first time in my life I can’t stop what I’m doing to comfort him. He screams and it’s the last thing I remember before being scooped up and set down on the couch.
    After about thirty seconds, sounds start to come back and I hear. “Don’t worry James, she’s gonna be okay.”
    Devyn is in front of me, his arms on my shoulders. “It’s okay. Just breathe. You’re gonna be fine. Try to relax. You’re having a panic attack.”
    He looks over at James. “Come here, buddy.” James is reluctant and scared. My chest starts to constrict tighter. “Hey pal, remember what we talked about earlier? How you have to take care of your mom?”
    James sniffles and his eyes well up.
    Devyn gets down on a knee, at eye level with James. “She needs you right now. I need to go get her some medicine. You gotta stay strong for her, okay?”
    “O-okay.” James walks over and puts his arms around me. “It’s gonna be okay, Mommy.”
    “I’ll be right back. Okay? I’m going just around the corner.”
    James nods and Devyn is like a lightning bolt flying down the hallway, and he’s back in an instant. He has a bottled water in one hand and a pill in the other. “It’s Xanax, it’s going to help calm you down. Okay?”
    I reach out and grab his hand to get a look at the pill, and then I nod. He puts it on my tongue and lifts the water to my mouth and I swallow it down, barely.
    “You’re doing really good, James. Really good, buddy.” Devyn smiles at him.
    My breathing starts to return back to normal and the ceiling doesn’t feel like it’s going to collapse on me any longer. My arms wrap around James’ neck and squeeze him tight. When I turn back Devyn is staring at me. His entire body is glistening from his workout and his look of concern brings all the feelings from earlier back to the surface.
    “Do you need anything? More water?”
    “No, no, I think. I think I’m okay. I just got a phone call—”
    He cuts me off mid-sentence. “Not right now. Don’t think about it. Just know that everything will be fine. Okay?”
    I nod but I’m not convinced. How can I be? In a week, a month, a year from now, it’ll be James and me. I’ll still be fighting the same battle. Single mom trying to do what’s best for her son. Devyn will be off destroying people in an arena somewhere in the world.
    “This might not sound like a good idea to you, but is there someone you can call? Who might watch James for a few hours? Give you some time to yourself?”
    “No, no, it’s fine. I’m fine.”
    “Tabby. From your work, Mom.” We both glance down to James. “She can watch me. She’s fun!”
    I look back to Devyn and he’s trying to give me the same puppy dog eyes that James uses when he is wanting to get his way.
    “It’s two against one you know? The boys have you outnumbered here.”
    I can’t help but smile at both of them. “Okay. Fine. But no promises. She’s probably busy. And I thought Bernice said something about making dinner or something?”
    “She called me while I was running. Asked for a rain check. She had something come up but made me promise not to feed James McDonalds for dinner.”
    I chuckle. “Okay. I’ll call Tabby.”

DEVYN
     
    Tabby shows up to get James. She walks in and stares around at the house. “Good to see you again. I see you made quite an impression on Carly.”
    I start to stutter and she cuts me off.
    “Save it. I care a lot about those two people in there. As long as you do right by them, we won’t have any problems. Deal?” She holds out her hand.
    I reach out and take it. She has quite a grip for her size.
    “They in there?” She points down the hall.
    I nod.
    She starts down the hall and I trail behind, trying