Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“Of course you will. You’re the father,” she scoffs.
“With you and me in the same house, sleeping in the same bed, working on siblings for Peanut. That’s what I want. I want the life we planned but pushed to the side.”
“How do we do that? How do we get that back? Can we get it back?” she asks.
“We can,” I say adamantly.
“We signed the papers,” she reminds me.
“I know that. We also signed our marriage license, something that can easily be repeated,” I say, looking into her eyes.
She drops her head and traces my tattoo when suddenly her fingers stop moving. “Your ring,” she whispers. “You’re still wearing your ring.”
“I made a promise to you when you gave me that ring. We lost our way, and I’m to blame for that, but we can make it back. I never for one second stopped loving you.”
“Love was never the issue,” she counters.
“I know that. I let myself get carried away with work. All the while I thought it was for us. To make the gym a success, so when we decided to start a family, we would be set financially so you could stay home if you chose to do so.” I pause, letting my confession sink in. “I was an idiot.”
“All right,” a nurse says, barging in on us. “We’ve got your room set up. Here are her things. You want to follow me?” the nurse asks.
“Oh, you don’t—”
“Lead the way,” I say, reaching out to grab the bag of personal items from her. I step back and watch as they help Winnie into a wheelchair and drape a blanket over her lap. When they start to move, so do I. The nurse gets her settled in her new room, with a promise to come back and check in on her soon.
“Where do you want this stuff?” I ask her.
She points to the cabinet. “I guess just throw it in there for now. I hope no one messes with it in there.”
“I won’t let them,” I tell her.
“What do you mean?”
I finish placing her bag of personal items in the small cabinet and make my way back to her bedside, sitting in the chair and pulling it closer. Reaching out, I take her hand in mine. “I’m not leaving you here all alone.”
“That’s crazy,” she says, pulling her hand from mine.
“My wife and unborn child were in a car accident, and are staying in the hospital overnight. Why is it crazy that I want to be here with you?”
“I’m not your wife.”
“Not yet. But this…” I place my hand over her belly. I can’t seem to stop touching her. “This little peanut is a part of both of us. It’s my job to be there for both of you, and I plan to do just that.”
“Harrison, you should go home, sleep in your bed, get a good night’s sleep.”
“Funny,” I say, except I’m far from laughing. “I’ve not had a good night’s sleep since I moved out.” It’s the truth, the bed is cold and empty without her.
“Don’t do that.” She points her finger at me. “Don’t you dare try to make me feel guilty.”
“Never,” I assure her. “I’m just giving you the facts.” Never again will I let her think she’s not the most important person in my life. She and this baby mean everything to me, and I’ll make damn sure they know it.
Her eyes close and she exhales. That’s when I know I’ve won. She can act tough all she wants, but she’s scared. Our situation is not ideal, and who wants to spend the night in the hospital on their own? “I need to call my family.”
“I can call them for you.” I start to reach for my cell phone in my pocket.
“Wait! It’s late, and there’s no need wake them up, making them worry. I can call them tomorrow when I’m released. I’ll need a ride home.”
“I can take you home.”
“Harrison—”
“Gwendolyn,” I counter.
“Fine,” she concedes.
That was much easier than I thought it would be. I can only assume she didn’t want me calling her family, because then she would have to explain to them why I’m here. “Do they know?” I ask her.
“No. We had dinner at Twist of Lime, and I’ve been sick. Gabby made a comment about if she didn’t know any better, she would think I was pregnant. That’s when it hit me. I told them I wasn’t feeling well, so I could leave to buy a test. That’s where I was headed when the accident happened.”
Lifting her hand to my lips, I kiss her knuckles. “That had to be scary. I’m glad it turned out all right. That you and the baby are both okay.”
“Yeah.” She yawns.
“Get some rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.” She gives me a subtle nod as her eyes drift shut.