Page 139 of Bad Cowboy, Tennessee

I finally woke up the next morning, after sleeping through the night after the anesthesia and some painkillers.

And when I opened my eyes, I saw Max.

“You a dream, or here for real?” I asked, seeing him over in the seat, waiting patiently for me.

“I am real,” he said. “And that’s the first full sentence you’ve said inhours.”

He slid his chair up directly to the side of the hospital bed, leaning over and giving me a little side-hug, being gentle with his touch because of my wound.

“Oh no,” I murmured. “What did I say in my drug-induced sleep?”

“Fragments of things,” he told me. “I tried to tell you all about how the cops caught Reggie Sandlefield. You responded with things likedamn right. Other times throughout the night, you said things likemore rose bushes.”

“Apparently that’s what goes through my mind when I’m recovering from a near-death experience.”

Max peered at me. “You also saidit’s over, a few times. AndI’m done, another.”

I knew exactly what those must have been.

The dominoes inside me, toppling one by one.

Me, in the wreckage.

Finally feeling like myself for the first time.

Maybe it was more like a forest fire inside me, making way for a fallow field, ready for new growth.

I was donemeant that I was done living any portion of my life in regards to my father’s company. Blood be damned, and dynasty be damned. Brody McGowan was just more of the same. Noise that I never wanted to hear again.

Revenge was nothing but a hollow, endless path. Keeping me jailed, along with my prisoners: the things I hadn’t been able to let go of forso goddamn long.

I just wanted to let go.

How could any of it have ever seemed important? How couldlovereshape my life, all at once?

I looked at Max again, though, and when he gently smiled, I knew exactly why all of that was the case.

“You’re my favorite thing, Baby Blue.”

He hummed. “You’re unbelievable,” he said softly. “But I can’t help it. You’re my favorite thing, too.”

I pulled in air, each breath coming in a little wrong due to my injury. “Anyone else come by?”

“Dominic was here a few times. He’s going to be pissed that he just missed you now. Left to go take a quick meeting.”

“I had a dream that he was in here, too,” I said. “Guess that wasn’t just a dream.”

Max’s eyes met mine, and I could see the hint of tears behind them.

He had dark circles beneath his eyes, and judging from the fact that he must have been in this hospital for about twenty hours now, I couldn’t imagine he’d gotten much good sleep in… over two days.

The blue of his eyes was gorgeous in the morning light coming through the window.

“I thought I was going to lose you,” he finally said, his voice low.

“I’m like a roach,” I said. “Can’t stamp me out.”

Max let out a shuddering breath, reaching for my hand and squeezing it. “Never do anything like that for me again.”

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