Page 71 of Willow Vale

A crushing weight settled in my gut at the thought of losing Wren before I even had a chance to tell her how proud I was of everything she’d done. After being away to chase her dreams in Montana and deciding to set her roots in Willow Vale again—I couldn’t believe this had happened right when we got her back.

And Finn…

I looked to my little brother and my eyes started to sting at the sight of the happiest member of our family looking utterly wrecked. He sat in a chair by the door, the seat next to his—the one I’d been too anxious to sit in—left vacant. His face was buried in his hands, not moving a single muscle since we got here. Finn never could handle tense conversations without attempting to make some joke to lighten the mood. The same as Wren in a way. But there was no joke to be made right now. I knew he shut down completely because he didn’t know what to do with himself when being hit with a bomb that left us all wrecked.

Hell, I didn’t know how I was managing.

I wasn’t.

After we were ushered into the waiting room by the nurses, having one hell of a time with all of us desperate to get some answers, we sat in silence for what felt like hours.

“They should have given us an update by now,” I growled.

“She must still be in surgery,” Dad rasped, keeping his arms banded tightly around my mom. She hadn’t spoken a word since we arrived at the hospital, relying solely on Dad to do all the talking. “They’ll come when they can, son.”

A few agonizing minutes later, the door to the waiting room opened. My heart sank when I saw that it wasn’t a doctor coming with an update, but a wave of relief washed over me when I realized Delilah was walking into the waiting room. She gently closed the door behind her with a weak smile that didn’t reach her eyes when she found me. I met her halfway as she rushed over, letting me walk right into her arms. Letting me anchor myself to her.

“Any news?” she asked against my chest, her hands rubbing my back.

I shook my head. “Nothing yet. I’m starting to go stir crazy.”

“We all are,” Finn said from behind me, his voice sounding hoarse as if he’d been screaming. Still, he tried to sound lighthearted when he asked her, “Where’s the little guy?”

“Desi came over and offered to watch him so I could come and check on you guys.”

“That was very kind of you to do, Lila,” Mom finally spoke, standing for the first time in an hour and leaving Dad’s side to come and steal her from my arms. I had to look away when Mom’s voice cracked. “I’m so grateful you’re here.”

The back of my eyes stung knowing my mother was hurting.I had to do something to distract myself. Anything to keep from crumbling when the last thing my family needed was to have me, of all people, fall apart in front of them. If it meant not causing any more stress onto my dad, I needed to be strong for him.

Finn cleared his throat, clearly on the same track mind as me.

“I’m going to…” He trailed off before excusing himself and shoving the door open, leaving us in the waiting room.

My mom and Delilah shared a worried glance, but Dad said, “He just needs a minute. He’ll be all right.” He accepted a hug from Delilah next, murmuring words of gratitude to her. When they pulled away, Dad couldn’t hold back his own tears.

I was about ready to follow Finn out of the room before I broke down next. But Delilah didn’t give me the chance to do that. She took my hand in hers and led me to one of the chairs so we could sit together. I pulled her onto my lap, keeping her as close to me as I possibly could before she could take the seat next to me. She came willingly, running her fingers through my hair, the strands probably a mess from all the times I’d run my hands through them.

“Is there anything you want me to get you? Coffee, maybe?”

“Just you.”

She kissed my cheek before running her thumb over my stubbled jaw. “Okay.”

We sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. The only person capable of calming the storm inside my heart was right here and it was like she knew exactly what I needed because she didn’t try to ease our worries by saying words that meant nothing in the moment. All she did was wrap herarms around my shoulders and let me get lost in her embrace long enough that I closed my eyes.

I barely registered when Finn walked in with his fists clenched at his sides before dropping into one of the seats without a word, his gray eyes red-rimmed and tired. Delilah reached out and took his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. He didn’t let go, and based on the way his knuckles turned white, I’d say he was the one squeezing her hand.

When his shoulders started to shake, I placed my hand on his shoulder in silent comfort. Being there for him was the only thing I could do right now.

I didn’t cry. I didn’t get up to pace the length of the room. I didn’t let myself feel anything. All I could do was focus on holding Delilah. Tight enough that my fingers ached. Not once did she complain.

By the timethe doctor finally showed up, we were all exhausted.

He told us Wren had suffered from a head trauma, and she’d broken her leg in two places. The road to recovery, as he put it, would be a long one before she could get back on a horse again. I swallowed the knot in my throat at the ramifications that would have on Wren.

“Wren won’t be awake anytime soon. You should go home and get some rest. I’ll call if there’s any changes,” the doctor tried to tell us.

“No way in hell am I leaving my baby here alone,” Mom said with herI won’t take no for an answertone of hers.

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