Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 95273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“Let me fucking talk to her,” I say, louder this time. Jesus, I didn’t even have time to tell her that I added her as my emergency contact. And this phone call is going to scare the fuck out of her. “Doc, I swear to God, if you don’t hand me that phone…”
“Yes, he’s going to be fine,” he says, not looking at me.
“Calm down,” Dan, a fellow rider, says. He’s standing next to me, and I glare up at him. “You know this is how they do it. If you didn’t want her called, you shouldn’t have listed her as the fucking emergency contact.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t plan on getting hurt.”
Dan scoffs at that. We all get hurt, all the time.
But I forgot to tell her, and that makes me feel like a son of a bitch.
Finally, the doctor hangs up the phone.
“You didn’t let me talk to her.” But my phone rings with an incoming FaceTime call, and I immediately answer. “Baby, I’m okay.”
“Brady?” Her eyes are wide with worry and fear. “My God, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, I’m going to be just fine,” I tell her. Sure, it hurts like hell now, and I feel like I’m going to throw up, but I’ll heal from this.
I always do.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I added you as my emergency contact. It totally slipped my mind.”
“It’s okay,” she assures me, holding the phone close to her, as if she wants to wrap her arms around me and hold on.
Not gonna lie, I could use that right now.
After I’m done throwing up.
“Hey, don’t scare her like that.” My sister nudges her way onto the screen. “You gonna live, big brother?”
“Looks that way, but I can’t fly home.” I wince as the nausea rolls through me. “Not with a concussion.”
“I’m coming to get you,” Abbi announces. “I’ll leave right now. Millie, you stay with Daisy.”
“You can’t,” Millie interrupts her. “Honey, you have so much to take care of for work, remember? The shittastic day you just had?”
Abbi sighs and closes her eyes. What shittastic day? What the fuck happened at home while I was gone, getting pulverized by a pissed-off bull?
“You stay here,” Millie continues, “and I’ll leave right now to get him. He’s eight hours away, so if I leave now, I’ll be there by morning.”
“I don’t want you driving overnight by yourself,” I tell her, getting her attention. “Mill, call one of the brothers and have them come with you.”
“I’ll take care of it,” she tells me. “Don’t worry about me. Go find a soft spot somewhere and start recovering. Send me the address of where you are, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Brady,” Abbi says, her face coming back on screen. It absolutely destroys me to see the tears in her eyes and the fear on her face. “I want to come get you so bad. If it were literally any other day, I would drop everything—”
“Baby,” I interrupt her, keeping my voice calm and soothing. Jesus, I need to get off the phone. “It’s okay. Millie will take care of it, and I’ll see you before dinner tomorrow. Don’t worry about me, okay?”
“Uh, not gonna happen, Cowboy.” She tries to smile. “Do everything they tell you to do. Don’t be stubborn. Hydrate.”
“Yes, ma’am.” God, she’s fucking adorable. “I’ll see you soon. I’ll call you in the morning and keep you posted on our drive back, okay?”
“Yeah.” She licks her lips. “Yes, please do that because I’m going to be a nervous wreck. I love you so much.”
“I love you, Blue Eyes. Don’t worry so much. I’m fine.”
“Text me the info,” Millie reminds me. “I’m on my way.”
“Call Chase or Rem to come with you,” I instruct her again, but she just rolls her eyes.
“Don’t worry about this. Hang tight. I’ll keep you posted.”
She clicks off, and I reach for the barf bag and let my stomach empty itself.
“I have anti-nausea pills for you,” Doc says. “Take them every six hours as needed. Tylenol for the headache. Get some rest. It’s not a severe concussion, so you can safely sleep. I recommend you go back to the hotel and rest until your sister gets here.”
“I’ll help him back to the hotel,” Dan says. “Come on, buddy.”
“I fucking hate all of this.”
The hotel is nearby, and once in my room, I take the Tylenol, press an ice pack to my shoulder, and call my agent.
I need a shower, but I want the ice more, and I can talk to Sandy while I ice down.
“Hey, Brady,” she says. “It’s late.”
“Not in Wyoming,” I reply. “I want to retire today.”
She’s quiet for a moment, obviously stunned speechless. “What happened?”
“Nothing that hasn’t happened before, but damn it, I’m over the fucking concussions and torn shoulder. And I terrified my girl tonight. I’m over it. I’m ready to be done.”