Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 60978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Knuckles’ phone chimed and he looked at it. Grim satisfaction spread over his face as he looked up at Lana. “Tonio says to give him a couple hours. Witch Winters waited until Judge Harmon left for his weekend golf getaway, and he turns off all technology when he goes. He’s notoriously hard to reach, but Tonio will take care of it. Said he’d call you.”
“I’ll wait for his call.” Lana checked her watch. “I’ll make this right, Eliza. I’ll bring Lily back to you and you guys will be OK.”
“Come on, Eliza.” Pippa took Eliza by the hand, and she and Hannah led her from the room, putting their arms around her for support.
As the women disappeared around the corner and Knuckles closed the door to the security office, I found myself alone with Ash for the first time since he hit me. My jaw throbbed dully as a reminder.
“I’m sorry about your face,” he said finally, gesturing vaguely toward my jaw.
“Any other time I’d tell you to fuck off. Then pound your face into the ground.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “But we’ve got bigger problems than a pissing contest to see who gets to claim Eliza.”
Ash sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair in frustration. “I keep screwing everything up. First getting sent to prison, now this. I can’t seem to do right by either of them.”
“Makes two of us,” I admitted, the words surprising even me. “My being in their lives has just given Winters more ammunition, but I’m not letting Eliza go unless she doesn’t want me.”
We stood in uncomfortable silence for a moment. “She loves you,” Ash said suddenly, the words clearly painful for him to say. “Eliza. I can see it in the way she looks at you. Lily too.”
I shook my head, unwilling to claim something I knew wasn’t mine. “They’re vulnerable right now. They needed someone, and I happened to be there.”
“No,” Ash insisted. “I know Eliza. Even before prison, when things were good between us, she never looked at me the way she looks at you. Like you’re her only anchor in a raging sea. And like she truly believes you can make everything better.”
The description hit uncomfortably close to how I felt about her. “It doesn’t matter right now,” I deflected. “Getting Lily back is all that counts.”
Ash studied me for a moment, then nodded slowly. “For once, I agree with you.” He extended his hand toward me, a peace offering. Must have cost him considerable pride. “Truce?”
I hesitated only briefly before accepting his handshake. “Truce.”
Eliza reappeared in the doorway, a mug of steaming coffee clutched in her hands though I doubted she’d drunk any of it. Her eyes moved between us, taking in our posture and proximity with cautious hope.
“You two aren’t going to kill each other?” she asked, attempting a weak joke.
“Not today,” I replied, meeting her gaze steadily.
She nodded. Eliza wore a determined expression matching the resolve hardening in my own chest. Whatever it took, whatever price I had to pay, I would see Lily returned to her mother. Then, hopefully, I would have them both in my arms. And they’d be safe.
Chapter Thirteen
Eliza
“Ms. Jans,” Dr. Brennan began, her voice gentle but clinical, “the genetic testing confirms what the bone density scans suggested. Lily has Type I Osteogenesis Imperfecta, commonly known as brittle bone disease.” Then she frowned. “And I can’t wait to get in front of a judge, not only to confirm this in your support. I also want to make it clear people without medical degrees should keep their medical opinions to themselves.”
The air felt too thin suddenly, my lungs struggling to capture enough oxygen. Three days had passed since Ms. Winters had taken Lily away. Though Knuckles had come through for us and she’d been returned mere hours after she was taken, I knew I’d have nightmares about it for the rest of my life.
The legal fighting had mostly taken place without the need of my presence. Lana did stuff. Knuckles did more stuff. And a guy named Tonio had visited with me and Lily for the better part of an hour. After Tonio’s visit, things settled. I have no idea what happened to Ms. Winters and didn’t much care. But if I never saw her face again, it would still be too fucking soon.
Then came the medical terminology in waves. I knew I’d have questions later, but I couldn’t really process anything beyond the fact I had a diagnosis. And I wasn’t crazy or overprotective.
“Type I is the mildest form,” Dr. Brennan said, perhaps noticing my overwhelmed expression. “Many patients lead full, active lives with proper management.”
A small mercy, then. The mildest form. I clutched the fact like a lifeline while my mind raced backward through years of uncertainty and fear.
“Ms. Jans?” Dr. Brennan prompted. “Are you following me?”