Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Her eyes widen, and it seems that finally it’s hit her. She doesn’t argue again. She just nods her head in defeat. “Stay here. I’m going to go check on a room for you. You’ll be up on the maternity floor, but we’ll get a wheelchair to get you over there. I’ll be right back.” He gets to the door and turns to give me a look. “And try not to fight anyone while I’m gone.”
Normally, I’d flip him off, but I’m too focused on Ally. Instead of the sassy and headstrong woman I’ve come to love, she looks small, overwhelmed, and unsure. “Ally, baby, you’re going to be okay. You and the baby, I’m not going to let anything happen to either of you.”
She grabs the front of my shirt. “Will you stay with me?”
I hold on to her and put a finger under her chin, bringing her face up to look at me. “Baby, wherever you go, I go. I’m not leaving.”
She leans into me, but her head barely rests against my chest before she’s lifting it up again. “Austin, oh my God, you’re hurt.”
She reaches for my face and turns my head side to side and gasps when she sees the cut along the side of my cheek. “Austin, oh my God, how did I miss this? How…”
“I hit my head on the rearview mirror of my car. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You were holding your ribs earlier. You need to be checked out.”
Brandon walks back into the room, pushing a wheelchair. “All right, let’s go, you two. I have you in a room with two beds. We’re going to get Ally situated and then we’re going to get you some stitches and maybe an X-ray.”
I am not going to argue with him now. I’m not worried about me, but before I argue anything, I’m going to make sure that Ally is resting and has her medication. Then I'll clean myself up. But whatever I do, I’m not leaving her side.
Chapter 11
Ally
I wake up with Austin’s arm under my head. I’m pressed against his body, and his other hand is wrapped around my hip. There’s a bed right next to mine, but Austin stayed in bed with me all night. I know he’s not comfortable. There’s no way he could be.
I pull back to look at him. Lifting my hand, I run my fingers softly through his hair and barely resist tracing my fingers across his creased brow.
Austin has been my best friend for what feels like forever. If there’s anyone that I can depend on, it’s him.
My life is falling apart right now, but he hasn’t left my side. I’ve always known I can depend on him. Growing up, he picked me up when a date went wrong. He always looked out for me at parties. He made sure to include me even though I didn’t really fit in with all his friends. Time and time again, he would hang out with me instead of going to the pep rallies and parties out in the fields at the edge of town. Even since we’ve become adults, he’s been here for me. I see him all the time. I know half my clients are because he’s sent them to me. He’s always doing little things for me like buying me food, getting my car fixed, and things like that.
But what he’s trying to do for me now is not small. What he’s offering could change his whole life, and I can’t let him do it. Everything is getting blurry, and it would be so easy for me to give in and let him take care of everything. The kisses we’ve shared, the way he made me feel last night, all if it is what dreams are made of. But just because I’ve been in love with my best friend for most of my life, that doesn’t mean that I can just let him throw his life away because he has this need to take care of me.
His body tenses for just a second, and then he rubs his hand up and down my hip. My whole body reacts, but I try to keep it contained. “Morning, Alley Cat.”
I roll my eyes at the nickname he gave me back when we were in middle school. You save a few homeless cats and nobody lets you live it down. He kisses my forehead and then untangles his arms and legs from mine before he gets up. I miss him as soon as he pulls away. He’s stretching his arms over his head and yawns. “I promised the nurse I would let you sleep, and she told me I needed to be in my own bed, but I couldn’t leave you last night.”
I roll to my back and rub my hand up and down my belly. I’m not sure what to think about this new side of Austin. He’s always been protective of me, but it seems he’s taken it to a new level.