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“She’s our princess.”
Thirty-Eight
Connor
“You sure know how to give a man a heart attack, baby,” I tell her as she gives me a weak smile. Dallas is asleep in her arms and even with her skin sallow and clammy she looks beautiful. Practically glowing. She was made to be a mom.
“Hi, I was afraid I wouldn’t see you,” she says with a frown, and I feel like a dick. I’m hurt but after the doctor said she may not survive this, we should all be banding together spending whatever time she has left with her, not holding grudges and making her sad. “Can you forgive me, Con?” she asks and I immediately nod. If she can forgive our group of assholes, then we should be able to get over this. I need to get Memphis, Lay and East here to hold her and kiss her and let her know how loved she is. I shake my head and laugh. I was the one who didn’t want to share her and now I’m trying to fix our fucked up family dynamic.
“I’ll be right back. Don’t move,” I command and she snorts.
“I'll be here, Con.” I open her door and kick Memphis’ leg. He looks up at me so broken and I nod.
“Get your ass in there right now and hold them. I’ll go get the other idiots,” I grumble and he jumps to his feet, shoving me aside and taking Cara’s hand. He drops to his knees beside her bed and cries. She runs her nails through his unwashed messy brown hair and shushes him. She says something and he sits up nodding. I watch as she hands Dallas over to him and he holds her close as if we will take her away from him again.
I know Lay was hurt, but he had no right to do that to him. Even if he is her biological father. Yeah, the emerald eyes were a dead giveaway. I’ll admit to being sad for maybe five seconds until I got to hold her and knew it really didn't matter. She was mine no matter what.
I shut the door and stomp down the hall pulling my phone from my pocket. I call East but it goes to voicemail, same with Lay. If they're going to be difficult then I’ll call in reinforcements.
“Hey there Daddy, yeah nope can’t do it. What’s up Connor?”Sassy answers and I chuckle.
“I need your help. I need you to get East and Layton here by any means necessary, call Jen, Gem, Frankie. I don’t care, just get their asses here now.”
“Did something happen, is Cara…“I groan and smack my head with my palm. Fuck, I am so tired.
“Cara is okay. I just need them here okay?”
She agrees then we hang up and I find a bench to sit on.
I never saw my life going this way, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Even if I do end up losing the love of my life, I’m thankful for all the days she was mine and for the gift she gave me.
Easton
I knew the moment I spotted Cara on top of those stairs at Kippa Nu, with the sun shining on her golden hair like a halo, I was forever changed. She turned a broody asshole into someone to be proud of. A man people could depend on. Then she went and lied to us, hid the fact that she was fucking dying and let us fall more and more in love with her only to have our hearts ripped out in the process.
I go to take another sip of the whiskey, but it’s empty. I stand and wobble to the kitchen. I know I have another bottle here somewhere. The door flings open, slamming against the wall and the bright sun shining in makes me squint with a groan.
“Shut the fuckin door,” I slur and try to focus on the blurry shapes coming towards me.
“Fuck, he’s trashed. You get his arms, I’ll grab his feet.” I think Sassy says, or maybe it’s Gem. The room spins and I close my eyes. Someone grabs me but I don’t know what’s going on…
I wake up in my shower with ice cold water beating over my head. “Here baby, drink this,” Frankie says, handing me a mug of black sludge. My stomach twists, and I know I’m about to hurl. I haven’t eaten a solid meal in a few days so it’s mainly liquid. After I’m done and dry heaving, I feel a little better. I groan and lie down on the stone floor of my bathroom. Someone has laid a warm blanket over me and I shiver. Nails run through my hair and I groan. My head is pounding and this helps ease some of the tension.
“Thank you,” I mumble into the floor and someone sighs next to me.
“She doesn’t deserve this, you know. She made a mistake. She chose to be selfish and yes, she should have told us but I can understand her need for normalcy. If she had told us she was sick then we would have treated her differently. We would have acted as if she was made of glass. She wanted to live her life to the fullest, and I can respect that. Yes, Cara died. But she’s not dead now. So stop grieving as if you lost your soulmate. Get sober. Get cleaned up and off this floor and go show your girl what she means to you, because East you may not have much longer.” Frankie runs her nails through my hair one last time, then leaves me there, crying on the floor and feeling like an idiot asshole.
e
I chug some more coffee and stride into the hospital like I haven’t been on a whiskey bender. Jase comes around the corner to meet me since I haven’t been to Cara’s new room and he pulls me aside.
“Are you good?” I nod and he sighs, “You smell like the floor of a bar. Did you even shower?” I groan and nod again. I know I have whiskey leaking from my pores right now. But I’m here. I’m in clean clothes. I shaved and I am semi sober. That’s the best they're going to get from me right now. He frowns, but starts to lead me down some hall and to a nondescript green door.
I turn the knob and Cara gives me a huge smile. She looks skinny and pale, but her eyes gleam with love and happiness and I feel like breaking down again. I’m not strong enough for this.
“Wait, please don’t go, East!” she shouts when I try to leave. I turn and show her how bad my heart is breaking and her eyes fill with tears. She holds out her hand for me and I shuffle forward, before gently taking it. She squeezes it tight and I close my eyes feeling the warmth of her skin, the strength of her grip. She’s still here. But for how long? “Please stay. There is someone I want you to meet.” She holds Dallas out to me and I gently take her. She has blonde hair like Cara and emerald eyes like Lay, she stares up at me and opens her mouth. I never did hold her the day she was born. So much was happening and I walked away.
“Hi, baby girl,” I whisper and she gives me a tiny smile. I read babies don’t smile for a few weeks but I swear she just smiled at me. I give her a grin in return and a flash catches my eye. I scowl at Memphis but he just shrugs. Lay storms in the room with Sassy holding him by the back of the neck.
