Page 60 of Lost and Lassoed

“I got them when I was twenty-one, I think,” he said. His lips were against my hair.

“I like them,” I said.

“I like you,” he responded.

I let out a laugh. “No, you don’t.” When I said it, he held me tighter.

“I do.” He kissed the top of my head. “But I’m not sure I get it yet.”

“Me neither,” I whispered.

We stayed like that for a while. Under the cover of the night, I let him hold me, and he let me stroke his tattoos and kiss his chest and I tried not to think about what this meant for tomorrow.

Chapter 26

Gus

I woke up with Teddy in my arms and my phone buzzing on my nightstand. It stopped after a minute, then started again. I reached for it, trying not to jostle Teddy.

When I moved, she moved with me—like there was a magnet holding us together.

The screen of my phone was lit up, and when I saw the name I was confused and worried. “Dad?” I asked. “Everything okay?”

“It’s Hank, August.” My heart dropped, and I hoped the woman sleeping on my chest couldn’t feel it. “The hospital has been trying to call Teddy. They got ahold of me since I’m his next emergency contact.”

“Is he okay?” I whispered, holding Teddy a little tighter.

“He’s stable. He had a heart attack. Luckily, the nurse was there. He’s going to be okay, but I need you to wake Teddy up and bring her down here. I already called Wes. He’s going to come watch Riley.”

“Yeah, of course.”

I looked at the woman in my arms. She looked so peaceful. “And August,” my dad said. “Be gentle, please.”

No shit,I wanted to say, but I didn’t. Instead, I just said “Yeah” and hung up.

I looked down at Teddy’s sleeping face, lit only by the moonlight coming through my window. Her hair was a mess, her mouth was slightly open, and she looked completely content. I swallowed, knowing I was about to obliterate her peace.

I had the urge to rub my chest—my heart was hurting for her. And Hank. Though Teddy and I hadn’t always gotten along, Hank was a hell of a man. I respected him and admired him as much as I did my own father.

And I knew Teddy loved him more than she loved anyone else in the world.

I took a deep breath. “Teddy baby,” I whispered as I put my hand on her face, “you’ve gotta wake up.” I jostled her a little more.

She let out a frustrated noise that sounded like some version of “No.”

I gently rubbed her cheek with my thumb. “Please, baby.” There was a lump in my throat. I didn’t know when it got there, but it felt impossible to swallow.

Teddy’s eyes fluttered before they opened—well, not quite opened, but they weren’t closed all the way anymore. “Is it morning?” she asked on a yawn. “There’s no way it’s morning.”

“Not quite,” I said, still stroking her face. “We’ve gotta get up, though. It’s your…” I trailed off. Suddenly Teddy was wide awake.

“What?” she asked.

“It’s your dad, baby.” I saw her jolt, ready to throw herself out of the bed, but I held on to her. “He’s okay,” I said. “He’s okay. He’s stable. He’s fine, but I’m going to take you to the hospital.”

She looked up at me and all I could see was blue.

“He’s okay?” she said. I’d never heard her sound like that before—timid, scared. As far as I knew, Teddy was fearless.

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