Series: Torn and Bound Duet Series by K. Webster
Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“I’ve been trying to get ahold of you. I need to talk to you. Your mom—”
“I need you, Daddy,” I blurt out, fresh tears filling my lids. Up until now, I’ve kept it all bottled up inside, not wanting to upset Ashton or Brayden. They’re always here for me, and I wanted to be strong for them.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“I’m at North Michigan General.”
“Are you hurt?”
“No.” I shake my head even though he can’t see me. “My boyfriend Drew is. He…” I choke out, trying to talk softly so I don’t wake the boys up. The last thing they need is to feel like they have to comfort me. “He had a stroke. I need you, please.”
I don’t care how mad I am at him.
I don’t care how much he’s hurt me.
My father is one of the best heart doctors in the United States and if anyone can fix a heart, it’s him. And that’s what I need him to do. Fix Drew’s heart. Make him better so he’ll come back to us. Because we can’t lose him.
“I’m on my way,” he says. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
We hang up and a throat clears behind me, startling me. I swivel around and Ashton is staring at me, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.
“Is he coming?” he asks, running his fingers through his messy hair.
I nod. “I know he’s not—”
“Stop,” he says, getting up and walking over to me. He kneels in front of me and presses his hand to my cheek. “You don’t have to explain. He’s your dad, and if it means he can help Drew…”
A sob bubbles out of me. I’ve been trying so hard to hold it together. “What if he doesn’t wake up?”
“He will,” Ashton says, his eyes glassy. “He’s just resting for a bit. But once he’s ready, he’ll wake up.”
I nod in agreement, wanting to believe him.
A little while later, Brayden wakes up. He’s quiet, refusing to even look at Drew, and I know at some point I need to ask him what’s going on in his head, but right now we’re all barely hanging on.
We spend the morning in Drew’s room, quiet and lost in ourselves. The nurses come in and out, checking on Drew, but nobody has any news. Brayden’s mom brings us lunch, demanding we eat. Afterward, she and Tim go home to shower, telling us they’ll be back soon.
When the door opens a couple hours later, I expect it to be them or the nurse, so I’m shocked to see my dad walk in. He’s dressed in a suit, like the one he wears to work every day, and with him is the doctor who’s in charge of Drew’s case. His eyes lock with mine and suddenly it’s all just too much. The waiting. The not knowing.
I throw myself into my dad’s arms as tears well up from deep inside and course down my cheeks. He wraps his arms around me and tells me he loves me while I breathe in his comforting scent. Memories from when I was a little girl surface. Him putting a Band-Aid on my skinned knee when I fell off my bike. Being the one to stitch me up when I tripped and hit my head on the table. Taking care of me when I had the flu and my mother refused to go near me. He’s always put her first over the years, let her call the shots, but when I needed him, really needed him, he’s always been there, and now I need him to make Drew better.
When I finally pull back, he smiles softly down at me. “We need to talk, but right now, let’s focus on your boyfriend’s condition.”
It warms my heart that he referred to Drew as my boyfriend. Then I wonder if maybe he thinks I’ve replaced Ashton and Brayden. Drew wasn’t with us the night I told my parents about them.
My dad’s eyes glance over my shoulder and a small smile tugs at his lips. “I feel like we didn’t get to properly meet last time.” He extends his hand out to Ashton. “I’m Harold Lexington, Mia’s father.”
Ashton glares at his hand for a long moment, and I hold my breath, waiting to see how he’ll handle it. He’s protective of me, all of my guys are, and they know how badly Dad’s choice to go along with Mom’s decision to disown me and cut me off hurt me. Ashton’s gaze meets mine, and I nod slightly, silently asking him to let it go for now. It’s like he said earlier, if he can help Drew…
“I’m Ashton, Mia’s other boyfriend.” He shakes my dad’s hand.
“Nice to meet you, Son.”
Ashton’s jaw ticks, but he doesn’t correct him.
“Dad, you remember Brayden?”
“I do,” he says, stepping over to him and shaking his hand as well. “Good to see you again. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.”