Page 77 of Parrish

How do I take her back?

How do I force her to remember all the things that nearly broke her?

How do I consciously let her relive all the times I’ve made her cry? The times I put her life in danger for the sake of brotherhood. How the fuck do I ask her to fall in love with me when I know damn well, she should fucking hate me for taking her in the first place?

I was never worthy of her love.

And now I have to remind her of that fact.

“Daddy!”

The sound of my son’s voice is the final nail in the coffin and immediately I’m weighed down by the promises I made to him. Guilt runs through me and I close my eyes as he calls my name again.

“She’s awake! She came back to us just like you said she would,” he boasts.

“Danny, buddy,” Wolf says softly.

Ignoring him, Danny grabs a hold of my hand. Squeezing his fingers, I blink and force myself to meet his gaze. His big innocent eyes look back at me with genuine happiness and excitement. The thought of telling him his mother doesn’t remember him kills me and I struggle to find the words.

“Is everything okay?” Lacey asks.

Layla pulls her to the side and informs her of Reina’s condition just as Danny begins to drag me towards Reina’s room. I gently tug on his hand and he stops in his tracks. His brows knit together in confusion as he looks up at me.

“I want to see mommy.”

Without giving myself a chance to second guess my actions or my gut, I drop to a knee and pull him closer.

“Danny, mommy is a little confused. She hit her head really hard and all her thoughts a little jumbled up. The doctors have given her some medicine to make her sleep.”

“But she just woke up.”

“I know,” I mutter.

“But you said—”

“I know what I said, Danny.”

“I want to see my mom.”

“Not now,” I reply, trying my best to keep my patience intact.

“But—”

“Not now,” I snap.

My abrupt tone instantly causes his lip to quiver and his eyes fill with tears. Feeling like a fucking monster, I wrap my arms around him.

“I’m sorry,” I rasp lifting him in my arms as I rise to my full height. “I didn’t mean to do that. I know you miss her, bud.”

I do too.

So fucking much.

Right or wrong, I carry him to the partition and shuffle him around, so he can look at his mother through the glass. Reina lays in the bed and to my surprise, she isn’t sleeping. Her eyes are wide open and there are tears falling from the corners of them.

“See, she’s awake,” I say hoarsely.

“Why is she crying?”

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