Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“I love you. I love you. I love you.”
He wept into her neck, burrowing into her, fortified by the strong, steady pulse beating beneath her skin.
“Walsh!” Meredith’s voice snapped a warning, like twigs underfoot. “You have to leave now.”
He straightened and turned, an apology dying on his lips. He looked over Meredith’s shoulder into the bleak hatred on Cam’s face.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Cam’s eyes cut to the bed, where Kerris lay still.
“What is she doing here?” Walsh refused to back down. “Why was she out chasing you in the middle of the night?”
“Wow.” Cam struck just the right note of false casualness, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re really well informed for someone who’s supposed to be in New York minding his own damn business.”
“You know I care about Kerris.” Walsh balled his fists in his pockets, holding on to his temper.
“Is that code for I’m in love with your wife?” Cam didn’t bother turning his head when Meredith gasped.
“She’s my friend. How could you not even tell me?”
“Tell you? Tell you! You were supposed to stay out of our lives forever. Did you forget that part? That’s still what I want.”
“Do you think I give a damn what you want? She was out chasing your sorry drunk ass when this happened. All bets are off.”
“You will leave.” Cam took a menacing step farther into the room.
“And you will have to make me.” Before Walsh knew it, he had taken a step in Cam’s direction.
“Think I can’t?”
“You’d have to kill me, Cam, and I don’t think even you’d go there.”
“You sure about that?” Cam’s eyes backed up the dark threat in his voice.
“Okay, stop it,” Meredith cut in. “Both of you.”
Cam shifted his glare to Meredith.
“And you. You told him, didn’t you? No one else knew she came after me. You were the only one I told.”
“I thought he should know she was in the hospital.”
“Why doesn’t anyone remember that she’s my wife? Mine!”
“You sound like a spoiled child.” Walsh’s patience was see-through thin by now. “Mine, mine, mine. She’s fighting for her life. Can’t we put this aside until she’s out of the woods?”
“No, we can’t put this aside. You wanna fuck my wife.”
“Watch your mouth, boy!” Mama Jess snapped from the door, drawing everyone’s attention.
Cam turned sheepish eyes to Mama Jess, before glaring back in Walsh’s direction.
“Mama Jess, I’m sorry, but you don’t understand. This is—”
“I know who it is. You ain’t gotta tell me. Both of you need to be quiet.”
“With all due respect—” Cam began.
“What you know about respect?” Mama Jess’s hands rested on her round hips. “I heard you. She was chasing you? That’s why she’s here right now?”
“Look, what happens between a man and his wife is private. We had an argument.”
“That landed Lil’ Bit here.” Mama Jess’s words were fiery pokers, and though not directed at him, Walsh felt the stinging heat.
“I’m her husband, and if I say you all have to leave, then you all have to leave.”
“I’ve already told you I’m not going anywhere.” Walsh pulled every muscle of his face into the mulish lines that had gotten him what he wanted most of his life.
“Both of y’all just be quiet,” Mama Jess said. “I mean literally be quiet. Do you hear that?”
The only sound was the steady press of the machine giving breath to Kerris.
“Do you hear that?” Mama Jess repeated. “That’s a machine breathing for her, and you’re having a pissin’ contest. I wonder if either of you cares for her at all if you can’t get past this long enough to put her first.”
A stern-looking nurse chose that moment to come in, raising her eyebrows for a second before pulling them back into a frown.
“I’m sorry. There can be only one person here at a time. And it’s only a few minutes at a time.”
“I’ll go.” Walsh headed toward the door, but paused beside Meredith. “Keep me posted?”
Walking through the door, he couldn’t resist bending down to kiss Mama Jess on the cheek, despite the frown she still wore. He could have sworn there was a softening in her granite-hard expression.
“Thank you for loving her. And for coming back into her life,” he said. “She always loved you like a mother.”
“How do you know that?” Mama Jess whispered back, her eyes filling with tears.
“She told me.”
* * *
“Hello.” Walsh’s father responded on the second ring.
“Dad, it’s me.” Walsh firmed up his tone and corrected his posture.
“Walsh? This is a surprise.”
“I, um, I’m in Rivermont.” Walsh braced himself for the explosion.
“What about Sheikh Kassim?” His father was much more calm than Walsh had anticipated. “I thought you were in discussions with him all this week there in New York.”
“I was. I have been, but something came up and I had to come here.”