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Mandy offered a wobbly smile. “Thanks.”
The flash of sadness in her eyes reminded Jolie that one important person wasn’t here.Bobby.
And all the way to Bozeman, she prayed that he would bother to show up at the hospital.
THERE MUST HAVE BEENsome serious discussion out at the ranch, because not only Bobby came, but Thea and Beth followed right behind him.
So you’ve finally admitted the baby is yours,Jolie thought as she gave Bobby an approving nod.
He ducked his head in return.
Not five minutes later, Matt walked in with Annie and Charlie. He headed straight for Jolie. “How is everything? Is she doing okay?”
“Almost five centimeters and a little tired, but Irene is doing a great job of coaching. I’ve been in there until now, but came out a few minutes ago to take a break.”
“Will you help with the delivery?”
“No. I’m not affiliated with this hospital, but there’s an obstetrician on staff who’s with her right now. She’ll be fine.”
He smiled. “So you get to wait out here with the nervous masses?”
“It’ll probably teach me to be more compassionate in the future.” Across the room, Bobby stood up and made his way to Jolie’s side through the other groups of waiting relatives.
“I need to talk to you,” he whispered. “Someplace private?”
Jolie threaded her arm through his and led him to a small lounge at the end of the hallway.
She sank into one of the brightly upholstered chairs flanking a window overlooking downtown Bozeman. Bobby paced the small room in silence.
“Well?” she prompted.
He shoved a hand through his unruly black hair. “Can you get me in to see her?”
“That depends. Are you here to support her or to make her feel even worse?”
There was a hint of newfound maturity in the way he met her gaze straight-on, without his usual teenage bravado. “I’ve had a lot of time to think. About a lot of things.”
“And?”
A look of misery filled his eyes. “I’ve messed up just about everything this past year. Big time. I don’t even know where to start on making things right.”
“With Mandy?”
“And Dan, too.” Bobby braced his hands on the windowsill and rested his forehead against the glass, his eyes closed. “I saw him, did you know that?” He gave a harsh laugh. “I went twice. Dad thought I was going out drinking, but I didn’t tell him different—he wouldn’t have let me go anyway.”
“The night of Dad’s heart attack?”
“That was the second time. The first time I ran into Dan’s mom. She kicked me off their place so fast my head was spinning. That woman would like to see me rot.”
“She’s hurting, Bobby. She’s dealing with what her son is going through. And it’s tough.”
“The second time I went, I texted him first, then went one night when she was at a meeting. I saw him, Jolie. He’s—he’s so pale. He used to be this big guy, bigger than me, and now his legs are skinny as pencils. He says he’s gonna walk again, but how could he, looking like that?”
Bobby took a deep, shuddering breath. “Idid that to him. I wanted him to slug me in the face, but he said he’d already forgiven me for what happened. How could he?”
Jolie rose to stand next to her brother. “Maybe because it’s better to forgive than to let something eat at you, day and night.”
“Seeing Dan made me realize how much I’ve hurt people who mean a lot to me—Mandy, too. I want to make things right and ask her to marry me.”
