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I bit my lip, not wanting to mention Doc’s news that she was pregnant, unsure if she’d even told her husband yet. “And Doc? How’s she doing?”
“She took a step back at the clinic,” Bones stated. “Which is probably killing her. It’s her pride and joy, you know? But she doesn’t want Lily and Cam to feel even more abandoned with her working all the time. Boxer said she burnt a batch of cookies and then begged Brooklyn for help.”
He shot me an errant grin. “She’s trying. They’re all trying to find a new normal.”
“It takes time,” I said.
“How long did it take you?” he asked.
I held up my hand and crossed my fingers. “Any day now.”
He hugged me tighter.
“So, I’m a good shot, huh?” I asked, wanting to steer the conversation in a lighter direction.
“Damn good shot.”
His compliment warmed me from the inside out. Bones made me feel far more capable than I thought of myself being.
“How do you see me, Bones?”
“What do you mean?”
I sighed. “I mean, we all have our self-image, don’t we? But it rarely matches how other people see us.”
“Why does it matter how I see you?”
“You’re marrying me. You want kids with me. But how do you see me?”
He stopped walking, forcing me to stop too. Bones placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me toward him.
“I see a woman who is coming out of her shell. I see a woman who is stronger than she gives herself credit for. I see a woman who loves fiercely, but who takes her time to open up and allow others in. I see a woman who loves with her whole heart. I see a woman who shut out the world because her heart was so soft she didn’t know how to protect it. I see a woman who laughs with her whole body. I see a woman who’s scared, but no longer wants to hide. I see a woman who’s ready to face the truth, even if it means her entire world comes tumbling down.”
I swallowed. “And if it does come tumbling down? What then?”
He cradled my face in his hands and stared into my eyes. “Then I’ll be there beside you to help you pick up the pieces.”
I sighed. “I’m not alone.”
“You’re not alone.”
“Bones!” a voice called.
We turned in the direction of the sound. Raze stood at the fence line. “Prez called church.”
“Be right there!” Bones called back. He dropped his hand and then grasped my palm, and we tromped the rest of the way.
“Oh my God!” I gasped when I saw Raze.
“What?” he asked.
“Your eye!”
“Oh, yeah.” Raze shrugged.
I whirled to Bones. “You hit your friend in the face? I thought you guys were just venting.”
My gaze bounced from Bones to Raze and back to Bones.
