Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 182075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
“When Rock is back, I’ll feel better.”
It seemed to take forever, but in reality it was only a couple of hours before Rock and Quaid returned. It felt like her stress levels were at an all-time high and her stomach was still unsettled, but as she sunk into his embrace, relief filled her.
“They didn’t charge you?” Slade asked him as Quaid walked in behind him.
She checked him over as well, just wanting to ensure he was also all right.
“Of course they didn’t charge him,” Quaid said. “St. Clare is a fucking lunatic. Putting his hands on Lemon and then on Indie. The fucker has lost it. And he’s not going to come out of this well. Both Margo and Lemon backed up what you told them, Indie. Rock came off a hero, St. Clare as a man who bullies women. One of them pregnant.”
She let out a sigh and sent Quaid a shaky smile. “Thank you for going with him.”
“You don’t need to thank me.”
She turned back to Rock and he picked her up, carrying her to the sofa and settling down with her on his lap. “Did you eat?”
“I did.”
“Barely,” Spencer said, watching her with a worried frown. “She’s been sitting here fretting over you.”
She glared at Spencer. “Tattletale.”
Rock cupped the side of her face, tilting her head back to study her. “You don’t look well.”
She grimaced. “Everyone keeps telling me how terrible I look. I just . . . today was . . . a lot.”
More than a lot.
Now that Rock was safe her body seemed to be exiting the numb state it had been in and she was moving into some form of shock.
Was that it? Her body trembled.
“I was . . . he was . . . for a moment there . . .”
“Whoa, Princess. Breathe.” Spencer’s concerned face floated in front of her vision. “I think we should call the doctor. I don’t like how pale she is.”
“I don’t want . . . the . . . doctor . . . want . . . all of . . . you.”
Spencer was joined by Slade and the three of them surrounded her. But the panic didn’t completely dissipate.
She was still missing one.
“Q-Quaid.”
“Fuck,” Slade muttered. “He said he was going to get something from the car. I’ll call him.”
Why did he leave? Because he didn’t want her?
He couldn’t trust her even though she had never betrayed them and never would.
Big sobs escaped her. It felt like everything was crashing down around her. She didn’t know why, but it seemed like what happened this morning had broken that last bit of control she had. The piece that was holding everything back.
And now it came rolling out of her.
Billy hurting her.
Edward basically kicking her out.
A positive pregnancy test.
The guys. Hurting her. Pushing her aside.
Breaking her.
Feeling so alone.
So. Alone.
Then Billy. Pain. Agony.
Still so alone.
“Jesus, fuck,” Slade said. “What is going on? Why is she crying like this?”
“I don’t know,” Spencer said urgently.
“Boo, Indie, listen to me. You have to stop crying.”
That was Slade’s dominant voice and it worked a bit. She managed to claw back some of the tears.
“She has a right to be upset after everything that happened,” Spencer muttered.
“If she gets too upset, she could make herself ill,” Slade said defensively.
“Please . . . don’t,” she whispered brokenly as she rubbed at her wet cheeks.
God.
Falling apart sucked. She’d done it before when they’d kicked her out of this penthouse, believing she’d betrayed them.
Afterward, she’d been numb for weeks.
That had been a blessing. It had allowed her to keep going. To do what needed to be done.
But now it seemed she was paying for not dealing with everything back then.
“Don’t what, Princess?” Spencer asked, cupping her face in his warm hands.
“Fight. Not for me. I c-can’t . . . c-can’t deal.”
“Shh, no one is fighting,” Slade told her. “Indie, stop crying now. Please.”
The “please” surprised her and she managed to hold in the next sob. Slade wasn’t a guy who said please often. He didn’t beg and plead.
He commanded.
She stared at his blurry image as Spencer grabbed some tissues to dry her eyes. Then he held one to her nose. She drew back, reaching for the tissue, but he just gave her a stern look.
“Blow.”
“S-so bossy.”
“Yep. When it comes to you and your wellbeing, I sure am,” Spencer agreed. “Are you feeling any better?”
“Sort of.” Some of the pent-up emotion that she hadn’t realized had been weighing her down was gone. Mentally, she was feeling a bit lighter. But physically, she felt terrible. Her body ached, her head pounded and her stomach clenched nauseously.
“Quaid will never get over what happened, will he? He can’t ever trust me.”
Want me.
Love me.
Rock made a noise that sounded like he was in pain.
“Oh no, am I too heavy for you?” she asked. She was aware of how much more she weighed now.