Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Dani rushes into the waiting room a short time later and lets out a big sigh as she hugs Darby, and Bridger joins us, immediately pulling his wife in his arms. “Sorry it took me so long to get here, I had to get the kids situated with Holden and Millie because the babysitter had other plans. Bryce is at that age where he doesn’t want to leave my sight, and I was already gone for most of the afternoon. So he wasn’t happy, but Holden took them out to show them the horses, and all is well.”
Bridger kisses his wife tenderly. “I missed you this afternoon too.”
Over the next hour, Darby and I move around the room, chatting with friends and family, and I love how comfortable she is among this crowd. Of course, she told me that the Blackwell Ranch was her safe haven, so it only makes sense that she fits in so well with their family. They are her family. Beckett teases her like a brother would, and Darby has no qualms about laying her hand on Billie’s round belly to feel the baby kick.
These are her people.
Not only is she here for me and Harper, but she’s here for Blake, too, and I fucking love that.
Suddenly, Ava comes through the doors, tears streaming down her sweet face and every hair on my body stands on end.
“Harper has to go in for an emergency C-section,” she says with a sniff. “Everything was totally fine, and we were joking and I was painting her toenails and Blake was talking with her doctor because he’s totally a control freak in that room, but then the baby’s heart started to slow, and they think the cord is wrapped around her neck, so they’re taking them back now.”
Ava walks right into Dad’s arms, crying.
“Hey, shh,” Dad says, rubbing her back. “She’s going to be fine, baby. This is a precaution.”
“It’s fucking scary,” Ava wails and buries her face in Dad’s chest.
Darby’s hand finds mine. She’s been standing with me since the moment she got here, as though she just knows that I need her with me. Because I do.
“Did they say anything else?” I ask Ava, who shakes her head.
“No, they told me to come out here to wait, and Blake tried to make me think that he’s not freaked out, but he totally is. I could see it in his eyes that he’s worried.”
“Of course he is,” Darby says. “That’s his wife. Even though he’s a doctor, I’m sure that all the training goes out the window when it’s your own wife and baby. But it’s going to be okay.”
Darby turns her gorgeous face up to me.
“They’re going to be okay, Hotshot.”
I nod, but my stomach is in knots as I pull my free hand down my face. I won’t breathe easy until my sister is through this surgery and that baby is here safely.
I glance up at the TV to catch the score and see how Xander’s doing. He’s on the ice and has the puck, passes it, then it’s passed back to him, and he takes a hit in the boards.
Ouch.
He breaks out of that but gets hit again, and the room goes quiet around me as I watch three men from the opposing team surround my brother. His teammates pull two of them off, and the last one is punching Xander, who’s fighting back.
But then, he goes down to the ice, and I hold my breath.
“Get up,” I mutter beneath my breath. Every muscle in my body is tight and every second feels like an eternity as Xander lies there, not moving.
The game stops, the piece of shit that was fighting him is pulled away, and the medics skate out to him, and the broadcast goes to a commercial.
“Fuck,” Easton growls next to me.
I glance at Dad, who’s swaying side to side, Ava still in his arms, staring at the TV as if he can will it to switch back to the game so he can see that his boy is okay. His face is paler than usual, his jaw grinding.
“He’s had worse,” Ava says, rubbing her hand up and down Dad’s arm.
Dad only nods.
Finally, the game is back, but the medics are still with Xander on the ice, and my heart drops.
Fuck.
This isn’t good. He’s not moving, but they’re talking to him, so I take that as a good sign that he’s conscious.
My phone pings, and when I look down, I see Zack’s name. He went back to LA this morning.
Z: Don’t freak out. He’ll be okay.
Yeah, my best friend knows me.
Me: It doesn’t look good right now. Also, Harper’s having the baby as I type this. C-section. That’s all I know.
The three dots bounce.
Z: Shit. Okay, they’re both okay. I shouldn’t have come back to LA so soon.