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Kai leaned back and cupped Sophie’s face between her palms. “Not the same and you know it.” Then she hugged her hard again. “You aren’t dying on me. I won’t allow it because I need you more than you need me.”
Sophie chuckled but it wasn’t a happy sound. “What about my hair?”
“It will grow back,” Kai whispered. “It’s just hair.”
“My breast, Kai?” Sophie’s voice was low. There was that nagging worry that Josh would not love her with only one or maybe no breasts at all.
“There are beautiful tattoos you can get now or reconstruction too.” She leaned back to look in Sophie’s face.
Sophie rolled her eyes at Kai.
They moved to the bed and sat down, side by side. “I don’t know how I feel right now other than I’d much rather be having a baby than have cancer.” She rubbed her friend’s belly. Kai was twenty weeks pregnant with hers and Roman’s second child. Soon, Sophie couldn’t remember when, they were having an ultrasound.
Sophie was feeling the baby move around in Kai. She laid her hand on top of Sophie’s stopping her from moving it. “Whatever you need, me and Micki are here for you,”
“Did you tell her on the way over here?”
“No, Sophie. This is yours to tell, not mine. I just know her. We love you,” she tugged her to her and kissed her temple. “You’ll be just fine. Josh said it could be a cyst.”
She nodded but Sophie was afraid it was cancer.
Chapter 4
Josh
Josh waited in his seat when the nurse called Sophie’s name. He tugged her back to him as she got up to go to the door where the woman waited on her. “I’ll be right here,” he promised.
“I know.” She leaned over and planted a kiss on his lips.
He watched his wife walk away from him and wanted to go with her, but Sophie thought she could do this alone. He didn’t know what she was doing or how they did it, but he wanted to be by her side. He had to respect her wishes and right now she wanted him to wait for her.
He leaned back in his chair. His hand trembled a little that held his phone. He texted Miguel and Sam who were taking the only two crews on jobs today. Jobs that couldn’t be rescheduled.
They were at the office gathering the information needed. Miguel was good with paperwork and computers. Sam was good with the crews. He was going to have to rely on them a lot going forward if Sophie was sick, but he needed someone like himself who could oversee them and deal with the big clients like Satterfield. Neither of them was ready for Max yet.
He ran his hand through his short haircut, slightly longer on top. He had slept little last night, staring up at the ceiling. Sophie took an over the counter, sleeping pill. She was so restless, she wouldn’t have slept otherwise.
Gazing out the window, right now, he looked up at the heavens and whispered. Please don’t take her from me.
He leaned forward on his knees and lowered his head, so
no one would see the tears forming in his eyes. He hadn’t cried since Ally was born. The birth of his children had almost brought him to his knees. That was two events in his nearly perfect life that made him come undone.
He gouged his fingers in his eyes. He could sit here and make all kinds of promises that he would never keep, or he could just beg for her to be okay because that was all he had. His love for her had to keep her strong and well because without her had nothing.
Chuckling, he remembered her last month of pregnancy with Heath. She was so tiny that her belly had nowhere to go but out. She was hot even though the temperature outside was cold. His son was born in January when the snow had fallen overnight leaving nearly eight inches of powdery fluff that was deceiving. Beneath it, was a layer of ice.
He was shaking his head, as the memories flooded back. Josh didn’t think they would make it to the hospital with her. He thought he was going to have to pull over and deliver Heath in the front seat of the old, red Ford she still drove today.
Propping his chin in his hand, he smiled a little. When he brought them home, he carried his son up the sidewalk of her parent’s house. Man, they were so young. He shook his head.
Sophie walked in front of him. She was sore. Heath had a big head, they had to cut her deep. They did that then. They don’t do that now. He had learned that when his grandson was born. An event he didn’t think he would be so closely participating in, but he had, and he loved every minute of it.
He loved Hannah like his own daughter. He had been with her since she was born since Ben skipped out on her. Josh couldn’t understand Ben. One of his closest friends since grade school. Kai’s boyfriend from freshman year, like him and Sophie.
Josh had never told the girls about his fight with Ben before he left Cooper for school. He never told them about the shoving match they got into. He had asked him how could he leave Kai and their child?
He leaned back and looked out the window. He rubbed his hands over his face. Maybe Kai and Hannah had a right to know. Ben dropped to the ground and sobbed after a bit of shoving and a few punches, each one taking a hit.
