Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 57341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
“You’ve got her, River. What fucking more do you want from me?!” Tristan roared at me, completely losing his composure.
If Joey and I had our way, he’d no longer be a part of her life. But goddammit, she wanted him here with her, so he had to stay alive. He’d been selfish enough with her. I wouldn’t allow him to do this, too.
“I want you alive because you fucking mean something to her, dammit!” I snapped at him. “If you fucking kill yourself, Tristan, it’ll fucking destroy her. She lost your sister. Don’t you fucking dare make her lose you, too.”
He barked out a humorless laugh as he threw his hands up in the air before letting them drop back to his sides. “Doesn’t matter how I go out,” Tristan snapped at me. “I’ve got the same fucking cancer my sister had.” Adelaide sobbed, and my heart broke for her. She was going to lose him, no matter how hard she tried to keep him alive. “I’ve got fucking cross hairs on my back. I’m going out soon, no matter what.”
“I can give you fucking protection in my club, Tristan,” I told him, no matter how much I didn’t fucking like it. “I can pay for your treatments. Shit doesn’t have to end like this,” I tried reasoning with him.
Tristan shook his head at me. “I wish it were that easy. I caught it too late. I’m on borrowed time. The cancer wasn’t detected until I got shot. With something that sensitive and since the chances of me surviving were already slim to none, the doctor didn’t inform anyone, though he did make note of what he found. I’m in stage five. It won’t be long before my lungs collapse.”
“No…” Adelaide choked out.
We both turned to look at her, and my heart fucking shattered. Her expression was completely broken, tears pouring down her beautiful face. “I’m sorry, Addy baby,” Tristan whispered, his voice cracking. “I’m so fucking sorry. I fucked up everything between us. You’ve been trying to hold me with you, and I’ve destroyed all of that. I’m so fucking sorry.”
A sob ripped from her lips. The machine that was monitoring our baby and her belly began to print out lines indicating a contraction, and the baby’s heart rate spiked dangerously high. Adelaide cried out in pain, and I instantly rushed forward and took Axel from her. “River—” she gasped, fear filling her eyes.
I was lost. I didn’t know what to do.
I didn’t know how the fuck to help her.
“We need you gentleman to leave the room,” the doctor stated as he rushed into the room to help her.
Adelaide cried out in pain again. Axel wailed, and I quickly bounced him. I pressed a kiss to Adelaide’s forehead. “Live for me, darlin’,” I whispered. “Hold Joey with you.”
She only screamed for me as I was shoved out of the room.
I cradled Axel in my arms as I paced the floor outside of Adelaide’s hospital room. I’d never been a religious man, but at that moment, with her wails sounding out of the room through the closed door, I found myself praying for a fucking miracle.
God, please, don’t take her from me.
Tristan was sitting on the floor beside the door, his head back against the wall. Joey was standing against the wall across from her room, his arms crossed over his chest. His jaw was clenched as he stared at the door, almost as if he were trying to will her pain away.
I only wished it were that fucking easy.
After what felt like an eternity, the door finally fucking opened, and the doctor stepped out. “Mr. Boris?” he asked.
“Is she okay?” I asked him, so fucking nervous that I was actually sweating. I needed to know that she and Jaxon were both alive. If she lost him but survived, I would lose her. Joey wouldn’t be able to breathe life back into her. She would be lost to both of us.
He smiled at me and nodded. “She’s going to be just fine, Mr. Boris.” I breathed a sigh of relief. Joey stood up from his leaning position and scrubbed his hands down his face, his shoulders deflating. “She’s asleep right now, but she should be waking up in a little while. She went into premature labor again, and I’m assuming she had an anxiety attack because she was saying that her chest was hurting, that she couldn’t breathe, but we were able to stop her contractions and place an oxygen mask over her face. She’s fine now,” He assured me when I shot him a worried look. “I just ask that you keep visitors out of her room until we feel that her blood pressure won’t spike again, which I’m inclined to think are causing the contractions.”
I pointed to Joey. “Can he see her for a few minutes?” I asked the doctor. “You don’t have to worry about him. I promise.”