Wreck stood up, mirroring Cyph’s position. “I’ll beat you to a bloody pulp. No fucking hesitation.”
“He’s out of control, and you’re sleeping with Peaches. Figure your fucking shit out. My dick works just fine.” Sabre and Grizz had both slid to the edge of their chairs, but neither one of them stood.
“I’m living my best life.” Pretty smirked. “Men. Women. It’s like a revolving smorgasbord.”
“What?” Count chimed in. “With your snacks?”
“I talk to them and tell them how much I loooooove them.” Pretty made fake kissing noises, and I couldn’t hold my laughter in. “At least someone thinks I’m funny.” Pretty winked at me. “I got to talk to my best girl, though. The snack cakes taste different lately.”
Sabre slid back in his chair. “You got to get a new shtick.” He laughed as he laid his hands on his stomach. “Excellent dinner, Chef.” There was a round of agreement, but Chef sat with his head in a plate, still eating.
I was grateful that the focus never returned to me. I kept JR entertained until it was bedtime. Passing him over to Grace, I snuck off to my room, not saying anything.
“Tell him,” Grace had whispered into my ear. “He might take it better than expected.”
I needed a quiet moment to myself. Thunder wouldn’t push, but I would have felt obligated to tell him. Instead, I lay on my side of the bed, letting the darkness surround me. It settled the chaotic thoughts I’d been having since my appointment.
Lying still, I watched the bedroom door open as Thunder tried to creep into the room, but the man couldn’t be quiet if his life depended on it. His belt buckle clanged softly against the floor as he dropped his jeans. I didn’t call out to him.
Thunder slid into bed, lying on his back with his hands behind his head. His breathing never changed. Slow and steady. He was giving me the space I had desperately craved, but I no longer wanted it. I raised my upper body as best as I could before I laid my head on his bicep. His arms didn’t move, but I placed my hand over his chest, connecting us as best as I could.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I was—“ I tried to find the right phrase. “It wasn’t…good.”
He stillsaid nothing, but his arm came down to wrap around my back as he held me close.
“No more.” I coughed. “I’m not…better.”
“What does that mean?” he whispered.
“This…maybe it.” I hadn’t cried when the doctor told me I wasn’t making any more progress. He didn’t think there was anything further they could do for me, and after a year, they hadn’t wanted to get my hopes up. I’d wear a new brace for stability only, but I’d never get rid of the shuffle. I knew I was lucky. It could have been worse, but I’d spiraled at the thought of officially losing my former self. Grace hadn’t forced me to talk, but she’d taken me for a chocolate shake to drown my sorrows.
“Okay.”
“I…shuffle.” If I could hear the agony in my voice, then I knew he could too.
“Okay.” His arm tightened around my back, plastering me against his side.
“Is that all…you say?” My volume was rising. Wasn’t my husband supposed to be on my side? Supposed to encourage me? I would never walk straight.
“I’m not downplaying your pain, and if it were me, I’d be angry, too.” I felt his nose on the top of my head. “You’re alive, Liz, and that matters to me the most. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be my wife.”
His wife.
Something inside me settled, and while I was still upset over the prognosis, it didn’t seem so dire. If I hadn’t jumped from that moving vehicle, I would be dead. I would have missed out, and that was the greater tragedy. I didn’t feel whole, but I wasn’t alone.
I shifted until I lay directly on my husband, kissing him. Each peck was a silent apology, quickly followed up by another, where I tried to share all of my bottled-up feelings. Bobby held me to him before he rolled us over, and when he finally entered me, the only thought I could process was of him.
My husband.
Alex is out there somewhere. Hewon’tstopuntil he ruins everything.
Chapter 19
Taking Root
Elizabeth
“How’s…painting?” I asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, kicking my feet. I wore my dog slippers, and the ears flopped, amusing me.
