Page 171 of Sunrise & Serenity

Worry washes over me. “Concussions will do that to you.”

“Thank you for coming,” she says, her fingers curling weakly around mine.

It’s not forgiveness, and it’s not an answer, not yet. But it’s enough to keep me breathing.

I rise slowly. “You should rest. I’ll be around, okay?”

She nods.

I’m almost at the door when she speaks again. “Holden?”

I turn back.

Her eyes have almost drifted shut again. “I love you too.”

For a second, all the air is stolen from my lungs.

She swallows. “That was never the problem.”

I close my eyes. God, she’s killing me. “I know.”

“You broke my heart,” she whispers.

I didn’t know words could cut so damn deep. “I’m sorry, Sage. If I could take it all back, I would.”

She nods carefully, and this time when her eyes slide shut, they don’t open again.

When I step out of the room, her parents are sitting together, obviously uncomfortable on the plastic seats beneath the fluorescent lights. Graham stands by the window, arms crossed.

All three look at me, but I keep walking.

“McBride.”

I stop and turn.

Richard’s expression is measured. The kind of look some men get when they’re trying to control their temper. “How is she?”

The question surprises me enough that I answer honestly. “Sleeping.”

Relief flashes across Victoria’s face, though it’s quickly replaced by a guarded expression.

Graham drops his arms. “She’s vulnerable right now.”

The irritation I’ve been holding back since seeing him again finally surfaces. “What is it you’re hoping for here?”

His brow furrows. “What?”

“You tracked her down at the ranch. You show up here. You cheated on her.” I gesture toward Sage’s room. “So why are you here?”

For a moment, no one speaks.

Then Graham’s jaw tightens. “Because she’s making a mistake.”

There it is. Not because he misses her. Not because he loves her. Because she’s making a mistake.

Richard’s mouth thins. “He’s not wrong.”

“A residency like this could make her career,” Victoria adds.