Page 22 of Shattered Mind

At fifteen, I’d woke from a three-day coma to a world my parents no longer existed in. I was alone, scared and broken, physically and mentally. But then my best friend marched into my hospital room and swore that she wouldn’t leave my side. Savannah nursed me back to health, held me while I cried and soothed me when the nightmares were out of control.

I suffered with a serious case of survivor’s guilt. I blamed myself for my parents' death because had I not been at that party, they never would’ve been in the car in the first place.

It took a long time for me to realise that the only person to blame was the one that decided to get behind the wheel four times over the legal limit.

Savannah listened to me blame myself again and again. She never complained. Never tried to force me to get over it and move on. She sat by my side every day and let me feel what I needed to feel.

And then, I failed her.

I saw the bruises. The drastic change in her weight. I watched the light slowly fade from her eyes. Noticed that she was pushing me, and everyone important to her, away. Every time I questioned it, I knew she was lying. But I did nothing to stop it.

When I got the phone call from Savannah that she was in the hospital, I made a promise to never let anyone hurt my best friend or her baby ever again. I always knew the day would come that she’d move on from everything that Ryan put her through and finally open herself up to someone again, which is why I wrote the letter.

Hunter is now in possession of that letter, and as I watch him hobble his way around the family run jewellers in the next town over, clutching my niece’s small hand, I know there is no one more deserving of my girls than him.

“What do you think of this one?” Hunter looks over his shoulder with a raised brow while pointing at something in the glass cabinet.

I take a step forward and look at the white gold, princess cut diamond. “I think it’s perfect.”

Hunter beams. “What do you think, Princess?” he asks Reign, and she bounces on the spot with excitement.

“I think mummy will loves it,” she claps her hands which only makes Hunter smile wider.

That man is so gone for those girls.

I watch him silently as he tells the slightly balding jeweller that he’d like to buy that ring and almost choke on my own saliva when the man reveals the price.

I’m no stranger to money. I was left a hefty inheritance when my parents died, but I’ve never been the materialistic type. Spending money on jewellery and handbags has always been trivial to me.

I let out a low whistle. “That’s a lot of money, cowboy.”

Hunter turns to me with the biggest smile on his face, “She’s worth every cent.”

“Good answer,” I wink.

The jeweller hands over the ring and the paperwork and Hunter takes it, offering the man a polite thank you before the three of us head back to my car. Hunters smile doesn’t falter as he hobble-walks beside me and I begin to worry that maybe his face is stuck like that.

“So, do you know how you’re gonna do it?” I ask as I open the passenger door for him. He raises a brow with a shake of the head, clearly not enjoying losing his independence.

He climbs into the car with a grimace before answering. “Yeah. I want to be able to get down on my knee first, obviously. I’m planning to do it by the lakebehind my parents’ house, twinkle lights, rose petals and all that shit.”

I nod my head, imagining it. “Sounds perfect. I will take her out for a pamper day. Nails, hair andall that shit,” I emphasise the last three words with a smirk and Hunter chuckles before clutching his abdomen with a pained wince.

Reign dozes off in the back as we make the hour journey back to the small town we’ve called home for only a few months.

It’s insane how much can change in such a short period of time. Less than six months ago we were living on the outskirts of London, spent the majority of our days in traffic, and planning to move halfway across the earth to our dream home.

Now, Savannah is pregnant and shacked up with an honest-to-God cowboy on a ranch in small town America, and I’m about to be living in our dream home alone.

Maybe I should find a roommate.

I put that thought on the back burner as I turn onto the gravel road that leads us to The Calloway Ranch. Hunter grips the oh-shit handle with a groan as the car bumps over loose rocks.

“Sorry,” I say with a grimace.

“I think it’s ‘bout time this road was paved,” Hunter says through gritted teeth, and I give a small laugh.

There’s an unfamiliar car parked outside the main house as we pass but in the last few weeks people from around town have shown up with gifts and well-wishes for Hunter and Sav, so we pay it no mind as we continue towards Hunter’s place.

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