Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
"She's sick, Wes," I rasp. "Really fucking sick. She has leukemia. I need… Christ, I don't know what I need, but I need you to shut up for five goddamn minutes and help me help her. Can you do that, please?"
He stops talking, shocked silent for the first time in his life. And then a sharp exhale sounds down the line. "Jesus Christ, Kris," he whispers, his voice shaking. "I'm so fucking sorry, man."
I clench my fist, resting my head against the wall outside her bedroom. Tears burn at the back of my eyes. I want to shred shit, run…do fucking anything but stand here doing nothing. But this is all I can do right now. I'm not leaving. Not even if she tries to kick me out.
"What do you need?" Wes asks, somber.
"Laney," I say simply. Her dad passed away a little over a year ago from cancer. I figure if anyone knows how to help right now, it's her. She took care of her dad until the end. She can tell me how to help Kelsey, what she needs, and what to expect. She can help ensure I know everything I need to know to keep Kelsey healthy and thriving. "I need to talk to Laney."
"I'll have her call you," he promises and then huffs out a curse. "How bad is it? What can I do?"
"I don't know." I squeeze my eyes closed, taking a deep breath. "It's not terminal. She was diagnosed when she was a kid, but she thinks she's falling out of remission."
"Why the fuck didn't she tell us?"
"Because she's Kelsey."
"Yeah," Wes sighs. "You're handling that shit, right?"
"Yeah, I'm handling it."
"Good." He sounds pleased. "Because I'm mad as hell she thought she could just go through this without us. We're her fucking family, man." He pauses. "Tell her that we aren't accepting her resignation."
"Maybe later," I mutter, running a hand down the back of my neck. "I need a favor, and you aren't going to like it."
"What?"
"I need you to keep this to yourself for the moment. I need time to break through those walls of hers before everyone starts piling on her."
"It's not my news to share, man. It's hers." He pauses. "But you might want to break through quickly because I can't hold them off forever. They're flipping the fuck out about her quitting."
"Just tell them that she resigned for personal reasons, and I'm trying to convince her to come back when she's ready," I say. It's not great as far as explanations go, but hopefully, it'll get the team from showing up at her doorstep en masse, prepared to chain themselves to her fucking porch until she agrees to rethink her resignation.
With them, anything is possible.
"I'm on it," Wes promises. "Whatever you need."
I expel a breath, grateful for the millionth time that I was traded to the Predators a decade ago. It's been worth it every goddamn day. This is my home. This is my family. I'll fight for both.
Chapter Seven
Kelsey
I come awake slowly, drifting toward the surface in increments. Something feels different, but I can't tell what it is. A smell, like warm summer days and home, seeps into my subconscious, heating me.
Kris.
The events of the day come rushing back in a blur.
My eyes fly open.
The light in my room has shifted, morning giving way to afternoon. I've been asleep for hours. Kris is seated in a chair beside the bed, his head hanging. He looks…wrecked. Like I wrecked him.
"Kris," I whisper, struggling to sit upright.
He lifts his head. His crystalline eyes meet mine.
"You're still here."
"Where else would I be?" he asks, holding my gaze. "You're here."
My heart squeezes in a vise again.
"You shouldn't… You can't…" I huff out a breath, pushing my hair back from my face. "I don't want you to…"
"You don't want me to what? Care about you?"
"That's not what I was trying to say."
"Good because that ship sailed a long fucking time ago, elskan mín. I've been doing shit your way for two years, hoping you'd eventually figure out that you can trust me with your heart, but I realized while you were sleeping that I fucked up," he mutters. "I should have been pushing you instead of waiting you out. That's what you needed. Me in your space, forcing you to do it my way. Maybe then you wouldn't have been going through this shit alone."
"That was my choice to make."
"Why'd you make it then, Kelsey?"
"Because…because…."
"Because you didn't want to bother anyone," he growls, fire flashing in his eyes. "You didn't want anyone to worry about you. You didn't want to upset anyone. It's the same reason you're trying to quit now. You'd rather face this alone than let anyone take care of you."
"I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl."
"You have me," he growls. "You have the team."