Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 71949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“That’s the problem,” I say. “My whole life, I’ve been the Bellamy fixer. The guy who keeps everything and everyone stitched together. When something breaks, people hand it to me. And I thought that’s what love was, too—patching things, solving things, managing things until they behave.” I pause, watching the road ahead of me. “But the one thing in my life that doesn’t need to be fixed is you, Dani. You’re the only part that makes sense just as it is.”
She doesn’t answer for a beat, and I can picture her face perfectly—her brows knit, lips parted, trying to decide if she believes me. “Then what’s the surprise?”
I glance at the GPS glowing on my dash. “After the blood test, we’re going out to an amazing dinner.”
“Hawk…”
“I know you haven’t felt like eating,” I say, “but let me do this for you. Please. I need to do this for you.”
That’s a crock. Sure, I want to do this for her. But I’m doing this for me just as much. I miss her, damn it. I love her. I know she’s going through hell, but I need to be with her tonight.
She sighs. “Oh, Hawk. I want to be with you tonight more than anything.”
My heart skips. She sounds sincere, so why the reticence at first? Easy enough to answer. Belinda. She’s worried. I am too.
“Good,” I say, voice low. “I’ll be there in thirty minutes to pick you up for the appointment.”
I pull up to Vinnie and Raven’s, put the truck in park, and walk to the door.
Daniela opens it before I can even knock.
She looks gorgeous in black leggings and sandals and a white oversized tunic. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and her lips are painted a glossy red. Other than that, no makeup. She doesn’t need it.
“Hi,” she says almost shyly.
I’m tempted to grab her and kiss her, but if I do, I may not be able to stop.
And we have to get to that appointment.
“Hi. You look beautiful. You ready?”
She nods and follows me out to the truck.
The drive across town feels longer than it is. The testing center sits at the edge of a corporate tech building. I park out front and kill the engine, heart pacing faster than it should. It’s not nerves—it’s hope.
I step out and go around to the passenger side to open her door, phone clutched in my hand.
She shifts her gaze from me to the building and back to me again.
“Don’t be scared,” I say. “Whatever the results are, we’ll deal with it together.”
“I can’t help it,” she says.
“I want to know the truth,” I say. “For you. For us. It’s a rapid screening. We’ll get results soon. It’s a private lab. Top-tier genetic testing.”
She swallows and drops her arms to her sides. “If the results…” She inhales sharply. “This won’t be something you can fix, Hawk.”
I step closer, hands open. “I know that. But it will give us clarity. I need to know what kind of life we can build together. Whether it’s five years, fifty, or forever, I want to build it with you. But I need to know what we’re up against.”
It’s not a confession of love, but it may as well be. I love her.
I fucking love her.
She studies me, her jaw tight. “You really think my father might have lied?”
“I do,” I say simply. “That man manipulated everything. It’s not impossible that he faked the diagnosis to keep you under control.”
Something in her eyes shifts—hope and heartbreak tangling into something fragile. “God. If that’s true…”
“Then you get your life back,” I say, stepping close enough that I can smell the faint citrus of her shampoo. “You get to make your own choices again. All of them.”
She looks at me like she wants to believe me, like she wants to step forward and let herself fall into my chest. But the next breath brings her back.
“And if it’s not a lie?” she asks quietly.
“Then we know, and we deal with it,” I say. “That’s all this is. Knowing.”
The silence between us hums with everything we can’t say.
Finally, she nods once. “Okay. But I’m only doing this because I want the truth, not because you think I need saving.”
“Fair deal,” I say. “I wouldn’t dare try to save you.”
Her mouth twitches, the smallest hint of a smile.
I laugh softly, and the tension breaks just enough for both of us to breathe. I reach for her hand, and after a second, she lets me take it. Her fingers fit perfectly against mine.
“Come on,” I say, tipping my head toward the glass doors. “Let’s go find out the truth.”
She nods, and together we walk toward the building hand in hand.
And I hope.
I hope that motherfucker Agudelo was lying.
Because I want another hundred years with this woman.
26
DANIELA
The testing center isn’t what I expected.