29. Hi Daddy! Were Waving At You.

Chapter 29

Hi Daddy! We're Waving At You.

W hen I heard her call out for me, I didn't hesitate. I walked through the doorway, slid the curtain aside, and then my feet stuck to the floor. Emotions swirled around me, making it hard to grasp anything. My eyes instantly sought hers as she lay in the middle of the bed. Locking onto her brown irises, relief drained from my body.

Her lips curled in a pain-filled smile when she saw me. I'd almost lost her, and any remaining relief transformed into grief. I couldn't bear the thought of being without her. If I'd lost her, I would have lost myself. I took a minute to scan her from the top of her blonde head to the two bumps underneath her blanket that I figured were her feet.

My hands rose instinctively, trying to reach out for her.

"Sabre," she whispered to me.

I wasn't a praying man, but I stopped to say a quick thank you to whoever might be listening. I vowed never to take her for granted. We'd joked about princess treatment, but I'd treat her like the queen she was. Silently, of course, because she'd never accept it. I'd fooled myself into thinking she was just some chick in the bar. She was so much more. Somewhere along the line, I'd ripped out my heart and handed it to her.

"Hey." I rushed to stand by her side, reaching for her hand.

"Yeah, you two don't even know I'm here." Stands chuckled, fiddling with the machine. "I'll be back around to check on you, Flo. If you need something, just hit the emergency call button on the bed. "

I heard Stands move the curtain and slide out of the partition, my eyes never leaving Grace's.

"Hey." Grace slid her hand closer to mine and tried to scoot back on the bed, making room for me to sit.

"Don't hurt yourself. I am right here, and I am not going anywhere." I locked our fingers together and rubbed my thumb along the back of her hand.

"I don't want you far away," she said. Her hand gripped my fingers as tightly as she could. Fear was settling in. Her eyes were wide, and there were shadows buried deep within them. Her bottom lip quivered.

I kissed her forehead, letting my lips linger to remind myself that she was here. She'd been through hell, but she was alive. I leaned down and pecked her lips lightly, careful not to touch her. I didn't want to cause her more pain inadvertently. Grabbing the chair that was in the room, I dragged it to her bedside.

"Are you alright? I was worried," she whispered.

"You've been through hell, and your first thought is to ask me if I am okay?" She stumped me. I should have been the one asking her.

"I love you. Of course, I need to know that you're alright." She frowned, but it twisted into a grimace.

"Easy." I stood to peck her lips lightly again. "Right now, you're my primary concern."

"I'm good. Nothing to see here. It's not like they cut me open or anything like that."

I chuckled lightly, and her lips tipped up into a smile. "I bet the scar is going to be pretty damn sexy."

Her smile instantly faded.

"I am going to pounce on you every chance I get over that thing. Consider yourself warned." I didn't mention that the scar would always remind me of today and how close I'd come to losing her.

"Seriously? You're insane." She was blinking constantly, and I could only imagine the pain she was in. The shadows I'd seen earlier remained in her eyes .

"No, I was a fool. I should have told you first thing this morning that I love you. I know what it's like to be without you now, and I can't go through that again. You own my heart, Grace. You're mine, mama."

"Your timing sucks," she said as she yawned.

"Yeah, I'll tell you again and again. Don't worry about it." I lightly squeezed her fingers in mine.

"The baby?" she asked, fighting another yawn. "No one told me anything, except that he's doing better than expected." I was going to have to make this quick before she succumbed to sleep.

"He's doing well, but he has to stay in the NICU. His uncles can visit him, though, and when you're awake, I'll make sure they bring him to you."

"Don't let Matt get close," she whispered, her eyelids fluttering. "Promise me he won't get close to our baby. I don't care about me, but you have to protect him."

As her eyes closed, I made a silent promise to take care of everything. "I love you," I whispered.

With her hand still in mine, I retrieved my phone from my back pocket. Sitting back in the chair, I began working, taking advantage of the quiet moment.

The first text was to Grizz for an update.

Grizz

Cyph picked up what I threw down.

He's hiding somewhere working on my paperwork.

Dipshit one and two are still here.

They keep asking for info but there isn't any.

I shook my head at the sheer stupidity of all of this. Matt should be dead, and Gerry should wait like everyone else.

Sabre

Send Pretty to the NICU.

There should be a list of approved people.

No one leaves my son alone.

I don't trust Matt.

Grizz

You owe Stands.

She came and got Pretty already.

Wreck went with him.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Wreck wouldn't let my brother out of his sight, and Pretty would make sure nothing happened to my son.

Sabre

How's Meredith?

Grizz

Scrub says she's holding her own.

They haven't tried to wake her yet.

He has news about my kid, but doesn't want to tell me in front of our guests.

Said it wasn't what we all thought.

Sabre

What the fuck does that mean?

Grizz

No clue but my guess is she lost it.

Sabre

You okay?

I couldn't be in two places at once, but I'd seen what Grizz had been trying to tell me from the beginning. It didn't matter if I liked Meredith or not. She was his, and no one would take her away from him.

Grizz

I am disappointed but relieved.

I won't lose her.

Looking at Grace, I couldn't help but sympathize with him. If I'd lost her, life would have been over for me. Meredith wasn't my choice, but if he was happy, I'd try not to kill her.

Sabre

I'll support you when you try to get the vote together.

Grizz

That's big of you.

Sabre

Like I tell Pretty.

I'll deal with whatever you choose as long as you're happy.

Grizz quickly moved on. He probably thought I'd back-peddle on my offer if he brought it up some more. I was serious. When he got the vote together for Meredith, I'd support it, but she had a long way to go at winning the club over.

Grizz

Scrub said Aunt E is in the ICU.

Thunder went to go sit with her.

How's Grace?

Sabre

She's good but in pain.

I got to speak with her before she fell back to sleep.

I am going to stay with her and try to figure out our next move.

I don't trust that Matt will not try some shit.

Grizz

I don't either.

You think the cartel is watching?

Sabre

Yes.

I think they're watching Matt to see if he'll get my son to them.

I don't think they want us.

Just to keep us occupied with their bullshit.

Grizz

What do you want done?

Sabre

Have Count silently send the brothers back to the clubhouse.

There's nothing they can do here.

The cartel isn't going to hit us unless Matt can't deliver.

They would rather him fuck up than them.

Grizz

Agreed .

Sabre

I am thinking about having Cyph put out feelers to meet with El Sombra Roja.

Grizz

Do you really think that's our next move?

Sabre

I think bare minimum we can use him as a resource.

He wasn't putting Grace in danger when he tracked her phone.

I think he might have caught wind of what was going on and kept tabs on her.

Grizz

Maybe.

I'll let him know.

Marriage license first.

Sabre

Good luck with that.

I smiled as I reread the last message from Grizz. Looking over at Grace, I could understand his enthusiasm. Knowing she was mine was enough for now. I wouldn't have to trap her. She'd come willingly, and our relationship would be real. Grace had already accepted my claim on them, and in my mind, a ring was just a formality. Although I wasn't against marriage, I wouldn't hurry into it either. Now wasn't the right time. I didn't think Grace would disagree with me on that.

My thoughts shifted to Grizz and Meredith. I didn't know what her problem was, and I didn't care enough to figure it out. My biggest fear was Grizz succumbing to the madness that was only caused by a woman. He would never survive if she couldn't get her shit together. He'd constantly chase her, trying to save her from herself. Meredith would hate that she'd been tricked into marriage, but I didn't think it would last long. They were good for each other. They just needed to get on the same page.

I sat back in my chair and watched Grace sleep, my hand still holding hers. She wasn't resting peacefully, but as long as she wasn't crying in pain, I could let it go. Her brow would furrow every so often, and it made me wonder if she was worrying.

"It's okay, mama. I am right here, and Pretty's with our boy." I tried to soothe her, not making any promise that I didn't plan on keeping. "It's rough right now, but remember what I told you. We love harder to get through it, and I love you something fierce."

Her brow smoothed, and I took it as a good sign that she was at peace for at least a few minutes .

My phone vibrated in my back pocket. Pulling it out, I had to chuckle quietly. You summon the devil, and he appears. Pretty had sent me a message. I didn't want to analyze Grace and Meredith's relationship, but as much as I gave Pretty flack, I'd never trade him in.

Spare Parts

Sabre?

Drew?

Hey asshole! You there?

You better not be ignoring me.

It must have been serious for Pretty to call me by my real name. I couldn't remember the last time someone had done that, and I wasn't sure if Grace even knew what it was.

Sabre

What's up?

Spare Parts

Thank god.

I wasn't sure if I could call you in here.

Nurse Smush Face is looking at me funny.

Wreck's outside, and Smush Face thinks this our kid.

That'd be something, wouldn't it?

Sabre

Please don't make me an uncle any time soon.

Spare Parts

Nah, not yet. I make no promises.

How's Grace?

I quickly texted him the same thing I'd told Grizz.

Spare Parts

That's good. Someone has to make me potato salad.

She's a part of our family.

My heart thumped. My brother had officially accepted Grace into our family of two.

Spare Parts

If you don't want to meet him, don't open this.

I must have waited too long because there were a series of vibrations, one right after another.

Spare Parts

I am not getting my ass beat.

You've been warned.

The next vibration brought a video. I clicked the play button and made sure to turn the sound on low. As it played, all I could see was my son's tiny hand. As I watched, my brother's blue-gloved hand rubbed his thumb along the back of the baby's hand.

"Hi, Daddy. We're waving at you."

I wanted desperately to be there, but I wouldn't meet my son until Grace was ready. I could wait a little longer.

"Last chance, Drew. If you don't want to see him, stop this video now."

I waited. Pretty liked dramatics.

He eventually panned the camera over so that the baby's face filled the screen. He was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, after his mother. I'd been so overcome with emotion that I squeezed her hand. She made a squeak, and I quickly released the pressure.

"Sorry, mama. You did amazing. He's beautiful, and I can't wait for you to meet him." I leaned forward and kissed the back of her hand. I didn't want to jar her.

Clicking play again, I waited for more.

"Drew?" my brother commented through the video. "We're so fucked. He's adorable. How are you going to say no to that face? Don't worry, Little Man. Uncle Luke is going to give you everything your parents say no to. Shit! I need to go shopping."

I shook my head at his antics, not really surprised. The last thing I heard from the video as I tilted my head back and closed my eyes was my brother saying that the baby looked just like Grace.