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I leaned back from her and opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn’t get my lips to form the words. I cried harder. Meghan quickly got me a piece of paper and a pen, but I couldn’t get my hand to cooperate. I wailed.
This couldn’t be happening again.
“Jessie and Lincoln,” Dr. Gresham told her. “Go get them now. Hurry.”
I shoved the pen and paper off my lap, my hands shaking. I looked to Dr. Gresham, terrified that I was spiraling again. “No, no, it’s okay,” he soothed. “West, everything is going to be just fine. You’re panicking. That’s all it is.”
Jessie and Lincoln burst into the room. Dr. Gresham quickly stood up, and my men sandwiched me between them, both of them holding me tightly. “Easy, baby girl,” Jessie soothed as he pressed his lips to my cheek. “Breathe. Just focus on breathing, baby girl. You’re too overwhelmed. Your brain can’t handle it right now.”
Lincoln pressed his hand to my cheek, turning my face to his. His blue eyes locked on mine, always so steady, my grounding force. “Stay with me,” he coaxed. “Come on, baby; stay with me.” My body was shaking. I was so fucking terrified of losing all of the progress I had made. “Come on—breathe with us.” Jessie grabbed my hand, pressing it to his chest. Both men drew in deep breaths, slowly releasing them.
“There you go,” Lincoln praised as I struggled to breathe at the slow, steady rate that they were.
“You’re doing so damn good, baby girl,” Jessie encouraged. “Keep breathing. It’s okay. Everything is fine.”
Once my breathing was calmed, Lincoln leaned forward and brushed his nose with mine, his eyes staying locked with mine. “Hi, baby,” he breathed, a small smile tilting his lips.
“H-hi,” I choked out, so thankful when my voice came back to me, even if it was broken and unsteady still.
His smile widened as he brushed his thumb over my cheek. “There you go. Told you everything was okay, baby.”
Our little girl swiped her foot across my belly in agreement. Jessie gently turned my face to his, his dark eyes holding mine, being my rock, holding me down to the earth. “You’re so strong, baby girl,” he praised. “Always so, so damn strong.”
“I think she’s had enough for one day,” Lincoln told Dr. Gresham as Jessie stood up from the couch with me cradled in his arms. I linked my arms around Jessie’s neck, my eyes drooping.
Dr. Gresham nodded in agreement. He gave me a warm, proud smile. “You did amazing today, West. Talk to them. It’ll help.”
I nodded before I rested my head on Jessie’s shoulder, a yawn leaving my lips. He pressed his lips to my forehead. “We’re going home, baby,” he told me. “Go to sleep. I’ve got you.”
29
West
I groggily moved down the stairs, the sound of Lincoln and Jessie talking in low voices in the kitchen reaching my ears. I slowly moved forward, eavesdropping, wanting to know what they were talking about, and why they felt the need to talk about it so quietly.
“A vacation away will do her some good for a little while,” Jessie said. “After what the fuck happened yesterday, she needs a moment to clear her head and bring herself back together.”
“As much as I want to whisk her away, what about the garage?” Lincoln asked Jessie. Jessie sighed. “We still have responsibilities, bro.”
“One of us has to do this for her,” Jessie grumbled. “She needs this, Lincoln.”
“She won’t go anywhere without both of us coming with her,” Lincoln reminded him. “You know that, Jessie, and trying to convince her to will be like talking to a brick wall. She won’t budge on it.” Lincoln sighed. “One of these days, we’ll be able to hire a manager so we can be home with her more, but right now, we just need to be here for her like we had originally planned to do in the beginning. We’ll alternate days like we originally did. She won’t have the opportunity to go into her head.”
I cleared my throat as I stepped into the kitchen. “You guys don’t have to bend over backward for me,” I quietly told them. Though what they were discussing was extremely touching. They really were willing to do anything in the world for me.
Jessie drew me into his arms. “Yesterday—” Jessie drew in a deep breath, “yesterday scared the fucking shit out of me,” he confessed. I frowned. “I just want to make it better for you, baby.”
Tears clogged my throat and swam in my eyes. “I just—I remembered s-something,” I choked out.
Jessie lifted me onto the kitchen counter, and he and Lincoln leaned next to me, both of their eyes on my face. Lincoln slid his hand up my bare thigh, and Jessie cupped my neck, his thumb moving over my jaw. “What did you remember, baby?” Lincoln softly asked me.
