JACKSON’S POV

I stood up to get my phone from my pocket, feeling a little awkward standing there with a kid who seemed lost in his own world. I could see how much Malone was struggling to adjust. It hurt me to watch him hurt Vera by shutting her out, even if he didn’t mean to. As I unlocked my phone and saw the new message, I turned to look at Vera.

There was no point telling her again that I had to leave and couldn’t stick to our original plan for the day. Instead, I told her we’d talk when I got back. I had made up my mind...