Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 64880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Tulsi smiled as she leaned in to kiss the stallion’s nose. And then she turned and started toward the gate. After a moment, the horse followed her with slow, easy steps, clearly having decided this human was a different breed than the people he’d encountered before—someone good, kind, and special.
Pike knew the feeling.
As soon as Tulsi slipped through the gate, he pulled her into his arms, crushing her against his chest, rocking them both back and forth as Tulsi cried.
“I’m so scared,” she said, her tears wetting his shirt. “I can’t live without her, Pike. I can’t imagine anything worse than waking up tomorrow and knowing I’ll never hold her again.”
Pike’s eyes filled with tears he didn’t try to stop from spilling over. “I know. I wish I could promise everything will be okay, but all I can promise is that I’ll be with you. No matter what.”
Tulsi clutched him tighter. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t believe in you.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t give you a reason to,” Pike said. “But I’m going to make up for it now. It’s me and you from now on. You’re not carrying this alone anymore. I’ve got your back.”
Tulsi’s fingers dug into his shoulders with a strength he knew most people didn’t realize she possessed. “I’ve got yours, too. I promise.”
“And that’s all I need,” he said, smoothing her hair from her face. He brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and met her sad, blue eyes. “We should probably head back to the hospital. I know they said two hours, but…just in case.”
Tulsi nodded swiftly. “You’re right. I want to be with her as soon as they’ll let me. Sometimes she gets angry when she’s scared. The nurses might need me to help talk her down.”
“I hope she wakes up throwing things and screaming every cuss word she learned from her Aunt Mia,” Pike said, taking her hand as they started toward the truck.
“Me too,” Tulsi whispered. “It could happen. She’s stronger than she looks.”
“So are you,” he said, opening the passenger door for her.
Tulsi climbed into the seat and turned back to look at him. “Thank you. For coming to get me.”
“Always,” Pike promised, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to her lips. She tasted sad and scared, but that was okay. He was signed up for all of it—every sweet, terrible, wonderful emotion, every peak and valley of the journey. His love was unbreakable, and there was nothing that would come between him and the woman who was his ever again.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Tulsi
When Tulsi and Pike arrived at the hospital, Mia, Sawyer, Bubba, and Marisol were already in the waiting room, camped out in the far corner near the windows overlooking the parking lot. For a moment, Tulsi hung back, not knowing if she could handle a confrontation with Mia right now, but the moment her friend spotted her across the room, she jumped to her feet and hurried over with her arms outstretched.
“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling Tulsi in for a hug. “You needed me, and I was a selfish asshole.”
“It’s okay,” Tulsi said, her voice muffled by Mia’s shoulder. “What I did was horrible. I was young and scared, but you still have every right to be angry.”
“We don’t have to talk about it now.” Mia patted her back gently. “We’ll hash through it all later after we’re sure Clem is all right.”
Tulsi pulled back, looking up into Mia’s face, knowing she had to say what needed to be said now. If the worst came to pass, this might be the last time she was in her right mind for a long time. “No, I want you to know how sorry I am. By the time I started to think I’d made a mistake, Clem was already walking and I… I didn’t know how to go back.” Tulsi crossed her arms with a sigh. “And then every time I’d get to thinking that maybe I should reach out to Pike or confide in you, I’d see a picture of him with a model on some magazine and let resentment get the better of me.”
She took a breath, bracing herself for the rest. “It was an ugly, selfish way to behave, and it wasn’t fair to anyone. I just hope you can forgive me someday because I love you so much. I never could have made it through giving birth without you, let alone all the years after. You’re my sister and my friend and I’m just…so sorry I hurt you.”
Mia pulled her in for a harder hug. “You did, but you hurt yourself more, sweets. I know that and I don’t get off on kicking the people I love when they’ve already been kicked around enough. And that’s all I’ve got to say about it.” Mia nodded firmly. “So far, there’s nothing new on Clem, but Nurse Amy was here a few minutes ago and said she’d keep us updated.”