Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“Of course.” He pulls back and holds me at arm’s length. “Now you get all that crying done here. Because once we’re with him, we’ll both have to hold it together, aye? A united front?” I nod, and the sweet man wipes my tears away. “That’s a good lass.” He guides me down into the chair, and I watch as he walks over to where Ciaran and Dimitri sit, playing on their phones.
As the men welcome one another, Clara leans in, “I think I came.”
I whip my gaze to hers. Gaping at her, I smack her thigh. “Clara Drew! What in the world?”
She waggles her brows at me. “Um. I know you’re not blind. That man is hot.”
“He’s, like, forty.” But even so, Coach McCoy is a good-looking man. Strong jaw, large shoulders, dark hair, and a dark beard that covers that strong jaw. He’s tall and trim, with massive legs and the darkest brown eyes I’ve ever seen. I see the appeal, but he’s almost twenty years older than my little sister. Surely she’s just messing around.
A sneaky grin moves over her face. “Mm, an experienced man with an accent… Where do I sign up for a ride?”
I guess not.
I roll my eyes, but then I laugh. Leave it to Clara to make me laugh. She’s such a dork. She leans into me, and I lean back, pressing my head to hers. We stay like that until the doors fly open, and a rather young-looking doctor walks through. His eyes are like a pond, bluish-green, and he looks more like a hockey player than a doctor. Dark hair, sharp jaw, and an easygoing grin. My eyes fall to his coat that reads Dr. P. Kalahandi, Sports Medicine.
My mouth goes dry as I stand, and he out holds his hand. “Mrs. Katz?”
My heart is pounding in my chest as I shake his hand. “Yes,” I somehow croak out. “Is Coleson okay?”
His eyes are so kind as he nods. “Yes, the surgery went off without a hitch. Let me show you what I did.” He opens his tablet, and it’s hard to hold in all the protein bars Clara stuffed into my mouth when I see the break Coleson sustained. Dr. Kalahandi is quick, efficient, and I enjoy that he doesn’t talk down to me. He makes sure I understand as I listen to how he used a rod to fix Coleson’s leg. “It’s going to be a hell of a recovery. Long and grueling, but if he’s like every hockey player I know, he’ll be on the ice this time next year. He’ll be wearing a non-contact jersey, but he’ll be out there.”
I swallow hard. “When can I see him?”
Dr. Kalahandi grins widely at me. “A nurse will be out to get you soon. They’re getting him settled, but I know you’ve been anxious, so I wanted to come reassure you.”
I squeeze his hand. “Thank you, Doctor.”
“Absolutely,” he says with a wink. “See you soon.”
As he walks away, Elliot leans in and whispers, “Do you think he has time to examine between my legs?”
I look at my sister and then Clara. What in the hell am I going to do with these two? I shake my head as the tears stream down my face in rivers. Waves of relief hit me like five-hundred-pound bricks, and I finally feel like I can breathe again. And what do I do with that first real breath? I laugh. Hysterically and I probably sound like I belong in a loony bin, but everything is going to be just fine.
Because Coleson has me, and I have him.
I won’t accept anything else.
CHAPTER 43
Coleson
My head is pounding as I slowly blink open my eyes. I hear beeping and know instantly I’m in a hospital. Great, so it did happen. Why can’t I breathe? I look down and find why.
My wife is lying across my chest.
Her eyes are closed, her lashes kissing her cheeks. Her mouth is open, and drool leaks onto my chest. She has her hands tucked up under her chin, and I watch as her eyeballs move back and forth beneath her lids. When she twitches, her whole body making the motion, I can’t help but smile. This woman is the worst person to sleep with, but fuck if I don’t want to sleep with anyone but her. I’m not sure how she’s positioned herself up on the bed the way she has, but I don’t care.
She’s here. Just like I knew she would be.
I assess my surroundings, and while I knew I would be in a hospital, I was kind of hoping it was all a dream. I look down at my leg that is suspended in a sling thing over my bed. I have bandages everywhere and blood spots where rods are jutting from my skin. It’s the size of two legs, and my foot looks like a Hobbit foot. Man, my leg is super fucked, but thankfully, I don’t feel any pain from my leg, only my head. I check myself over for any other injuries, but I’m good.