Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
“You what?” I jerked back, looking up at him in surprise.
He gave me a wry grin. “It was reflex. Cost me an assault conviction, which landed me in Terre Haute instead of some minimum-security resort in Florida.” Knight’s exhale was shaky against my hair. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making everything up to her. To both of you. I should have trusted you to know your own mind.”
“Yes, you should have. We can’t change the past,” I said, echoing the words I’d said to him when he first reappeared in our lives. “But we get to decide what happens next.”
He was quiet for a long moment, his hand moving slowly up and down my back. “What do you want to happen next, Lavender? After Brynn recovers… what do you want?”
The question caught me off guard. I’d been living moment to moment for so long, focused solely on Brynn’s needs, that the concept of wanting something for myself felt almost foreign. No matter how much we’d said forever and all that shit.
“I want…” I began searching for the words. “I want to see Brynn healthy. I want to hear her laugh again -- really laugh, not that sarcastic snort she does when she’s pretending she doesn’t care.” I paused, gathering courage. “And I want us to be a family. All three of us. Whatever that looks like.”
Knight pulled me closer against his chest, our bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces finding their match after being scattered. His heartbeat echoed steady and strong beneath my ear, a rhythm I could set my life to.
“We will be,” he promised, his voice dropping to that low register that vibrated through his chest and into mine. “A family.” He moved to get the comforter from the foot of the bed and put it over us. The sheets were wet but, strangely, I didn’t feel uncomfortable. With Knight wrapped around me, I felt more comfortable than I’d been in a very long time.
I closed my eyes, letting exhaustion finally claim me as Knight’s arms held me safe. Across the street, our daughter slept under Ada’s watchful eye. Whatever battles lay ahead, we would face them together. Not as the people we once were, but as the people we’d become. Scarred, stronger, and finally whole.
For the first time in months, I allowed myself to truly rest, Knight’s breathing syncing with mine as we drifted toward sleep, our bodies entwined like we’d never been apart at all.
Chapter Ten
Knight
I stared at the framed medical degrees lining Dr. Patel’s office wall. Beside me, Lavender’s palm felt clammy against mine, her fingers interlaced with my tattooed ones in a death grip neither of us was willing to break. The office smelled of antiseptic and coffee, the space so cramped my knees nearly touched the desk. A child’s crayon drawing was taped to a filing cabinet, stick figures beneath a yellow sun, the words “Thank You Dr. P” scrawled in wobbly letters. Some kid Dr. Patel had treated.
“She’s late,” Lavender whispered, glancing at the clock for the fifth time in as many minutes.
“She’ll be here,” I murmured, squeezing her hand gently. “Probably just stuck with another patient.”
I kept my voice steady despite the storm churning in my gut. The past forty-eight hours had been a blur of additional tests, blood draws, and urgent consultations since Brynn’s condition had taken another downturn. The shadows beneath Lavender’s eyes had darkened, her slim body somehow growing even more fragile.
The door opened and Dr. Patel entered, a stack of printouts clutched in her hands. She offered a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes as she settled behind her desk. My stomach dropped. I’d gotten good at reading people in prison and everything about her body language screamed bad news.
“Mr. Leahy, Ms. Calloway,” she began, her voice carrying that careful neutrality doctors perfect for delivering life-altering information. “Thank you for coming in. I know you don’t like leaving Brynn.”
“Just tell us,” I said, the words scraping my throat raw. “Is it Brynn?”
Dr. Patel shook her head quickly. “Brynn is stable for now, though we’ll discuss her condition in a moment.” She adjusted her glasses, a nervous habit I’d noticed during our previous consultations. “I have your final compatibility results, Mr. Leahy.” Lavender’s grip tightened painfully around my fingers. I barely felt it. “You are an excellent match for your daughter,” Dr. Patel said, and for a split second, relief washed through me like a flash flood. “There are no concerns about the transplant procedure itself.”
“Thank God,” Lavender breathed, her body sagging slightly beside me.
But Dr. Patel wasn’t smiling. She shuffled the papers before her, and I braced for the other shoe to drop.
“However,” she continued, her voice taking on an edge I hadn’t heard before, “there is a complication with the transplant committee approval.”
“What kind of complication?” I asked, my voice dropping dangerously low.