Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 54056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
“She’s in here,” the doctor murmurs, pausing in front of a trauma room. “I’ll give you two a few minutes, and then we need to get her upstairs to a room.”
“Thank you.”
He pats me on the back and then strides away.
I stand there for a minute, trying to breathe, before I step through the door. My fucking knees shake when I see her in the bed, wires running all over the place. The gash on her forehead is hidden behind a bandage.
She’s so damn pale and tiny in that bed.
“Wren,” I rasp, crossing to her on shaking legs.
Her eyes flutter open before she focuses on me. I’m not sure what to expect, but as soon as she sees me, tears well in her eyes.
I’m at her side in two steps, my heart in my throat. “Don’t cry, baby,” I whisper, kneeling beside the bed. “Please, don’t cry. I’m right here. Everything is okay.”
“T-They w-wouldn’t let me see you,” she whispers, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Do you remember what happened, baby?”
She hesitates for a brief moment and then nods uncertainly. “I think so? I mean, I don’t remember exactly. I walked away because I was mad, and then I heard you and Micah shouting my name.” She grimaces. “And t-then, I saw an SUV coming toward me. I woke up here. T-they said the SUV hit me.”
“Yeah, baby girl. The prick hit you.” My voice cracks and I have to swallow hard. Had he been going any faster… I can’t even think about it without feeling like my soul is being ripped from my body.
If the motherfucker hadn’t been in handcuffs by the time they loaded her in the ambulance, I’m not sure anything would have stopped me from tearing him apart. Thank God Jordan and Logan were there. While we were focused on Wren, they were dragging him from his car. He went to jail with a broken nose and a black eye. It’s less than he deserves.
“You were mad as hell at me and Micah,” I whisper. “It’s our fault.”
“Don’t, Archer.” She reaches for my hand, grimacing. “Please don’t do that. Micah already d-did it once and look at all the damage it caused. Don’t do the s-same thing now. You weren’t the one who hit me. And you didn’t force me to w-walk around in the middle of the driveway, either. It w-wasn’t your fault.”
I press my forehead to her hand, groaning. “I’m never going to get the image out of my head, Wren. Christ, I’ve never been so fucking scared in my life.”
“I’m here,” she whispers. “I’m safe. Just be here with me, okay?”
I can’t refuse her anything. Not now, not ever.
I press my lips to the back of her hand, whispering a prayer of gratitude before I pull back, meeting her gaze again.
She looks exhausted, like she hasn’t slept in days. And like she’s in so much damn pain. The bandage across her forehead and the bruise on her cheek are killing me.
“You should sleep, little bird. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Not yet.” Her brows furrow. “I w-want to know why, Archer.”
Fuck.
“I couldn’t let you go, Wren,” I murmur. “Every time you talked about moving back home, I could tell how much you didn’t want to leave. So I just…found a way to make it possible for you to stay. I didn’t think you’d accept the help if you knew, so I asked Micah not to tell you. It was fucked up and wrong, but it was the only way I was allowed to take care of you when you needed it.” I swallow hard. “It was the only way I knew how to keep you from walking out of my life and finding someone Micah would approve of.”
“Archer,” she whispers, her voice soft…sad.
“I know I’m supposed to do the right thing now and say I’ll let you go if it’s what you really want, but I spent the last three hours thinking I lost you, little bird,” I rasp. “My whole goddamn world stopped spinning. It doesn’t work without you at the center of it. It just fucking doesn’t.”
She makes a choked sound, and I realize that she’s crying again. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I’m afraid to hope. But I hope anyway. I pray to any god who’ll listen that she gives me a chance to fix things.
“I’m not leaving you, you big idiot,” she cries softly, and if I weren’t already on my knees for her, that’d do it. “I love that you’re obsessed with me. I love that you’re crazy about me. I love knowing that I’m not the only one who felt this way for the last year. I love you.”
“Fuck.” I press my forehead to her hand again, drawing a shaking breath. “I love you too, Wren. So fucking much.”