Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 74379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
A mewl left my mouth as I tried to hold my tears at bay.
It didn’t work.
They coursed down my cheeks.
“One of the happiest days of my life was when you came in that clinic, and I found out that you were pregnant with my babies,” he whispered gruffly. “The. Best.”
Hot tears dropped from my chin onto my arm, but I didn’t reach up to swipe them away.
There were too many at this point.
Nothing would stop them short of a freakin’ towel.
“The second-best day of my life?” He cracked his knuckles. “Waking up from my drug-induced haze, and finding out that you made it through surgery.”
I couldn’t freakin’ speak. Could hardly breathe.
“The third?” He leaned back against the wall across from me, kept his eyes on mine, and let me have it all. “The day you get to see the babies with me the first time.”
“That hasn’t happened yet.” I hiccoughed.
He smiled. “But it will…soon. And when it does, that’ll be my third best day.”
A sob caught in my throat, and I suddenly couldn’t stand for him to be so far away.
“Get in this bed with me.”
The moment he did, and I was close enough, he wrapped his arms around me and held on tight.
Both of us hurt.
Both of us were uncomfortable.
But having him so close…well, nothing else would ever compare.
It was too tight, but I didn’t mind.
What I did care about was that he was holding me. He was there. He was letting me in.
“I want to dig up his grave, and chop his bones up with a hacksaw. Burn them, and piss on them to put the fire out.” He growled.
“You saved me,” I whispered to him. “You don’t know it, but you did. I was broken. And you and your love fixed me.”
“I fucking hate him,” he said. “I didn’t think I could hate him even more, but somehow, I’ve managed it.”
“It’s okay. It’s over,” I lied.
It was never going to be okay. I was never going to forget. Not ever.
"Listen to me very carefully."
I shut up and listened, realizing that Reed wanted to speak, and wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Not a day has gone by in twelve years that I haven't thought about you. Wished that I'd made a different decision.” He repositioned himself in the bed, and a painful grimace crossed his face. Before I could tell him to go to his own bed, he continued—and completely rocked my world in the process. "I want what he stole from us. The house. The land. The kids. You. If you would’ve died, I don't know what I would have done. I want to say that I would've done the adult thing and taken care of our kids. Made a life for them. And maybe I would have. Most likely, though, they wouldn't know the same man that you left. They'd know a shell of a man who didn't want to be in a world that you weren't a part of.” His eyes were intense as he leaned forward. "I love you, Kris. Always have, and always will. There's nothing holding me back anymore. I don't care who doesn't approve. I don't care if my brothers will secretly hate it—even though they don't. I don't care if my mom never speaks to me again. Hell, I don't even have to live here if that's the case. All I care about is you and our little family. Please don't say no."
"Say no to what?"
"To me asking to marry you.” I looked at him with wide eyes.
"Is that what you're doing?"
He grinned and lifted his hand—which held a diamond ring in the palm. It was small. And everything I'd ever wanted.
"I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I bought this six years ago during a moment of weakness. I saw it, and thought of you."
A tear dropped down my cheek, and a wave of exhaustion washed over me.
My eyes drooped.
"Maybe."
He started to laugh. "All right."
"I'll keep the ring, though. Think about it real hard."
He grunted and slid the ring on my finger. It was a perfect fit.
"Perfection."
I agreed wholeheartedly.
And when the machine beeped, indicating that he'd pressed my pain pump button, I smiled at him. "The nurse told me that only I was allowed to press that," I teased.
He winked and stood, looking somewhat pained as he did.
"I'm a doctor. I can do it. Nobody else, though."
I snorted. "Whatever."
He leaned forward so our foreheads touched.
I threaded my hands around his neck, lifted my face so my nose could rub against his, and said, “I love you, Reed Hail.”
He shivered. “I love you, too, Krisney Shaw. Always have, always will.”
***
1 week later
I was nervous as hell as they pushed me into the NICU—neonatal intensive care unit—instead of to my car as they released me from the hospital.
My belly was doing somersaults, and I prayed that they were really okay like Reed's family, as well as Hennessy, kept assuring me that they were.