Page 134 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 3
This Is Love - Chapter 9
Monday -Penny
I had memories of James being closed off. Hard to read. Moody. But he wasn’t like those memories. His heart was so big. He'd forgiven his mother. And I know I had said the same words, but I was still watching her suspiciously. She could say all the rude things or nice things in the world to me. But all that mattered to me was how she treated my husband. And Rob. Rob was one of my best friends. I wanted to protect him just as much as I wanted to protect James from pain. Maybe it was the momma bear in me.
I bit the inside of my lip. I hoped I really was a good mother. I hoped that this time when I saw my son I remembered him, instead of just meeting him for the first time. I’d know him now, right? I’d remember?
The elevator dinged open. I don’t know what James had to do to get all of us up here. But any amount of money would be worth this moment. I stopped outside the NICU window and stared inside. I knew I had technically already met him once. But that wasn’t me. That person was a ghost, a shell of who I really was. She hadn’t known James. She wasn’t whole. A shadow of what could have been if I hadn’t run into James in that coffee shop so many years ago.
My train of thought halted when my eyes landed on my son. It felt like my heart ripped in half. I rushed to the door and pulled it open.
“Mrs. Hunter…”
I pressed my hand against the glass that was surrounding Liam. “I need to hold him.”
“He’s sleeping, Mrs. Hunter. I think…”
“Please let me hold him.” My voice cracked. God, he was so small.
“Penny, he’s getting stronger every day,” James said.
I barely even heard him. I felt his hand on my shoulder, but I didn’t really feel it. All I could feel was this shadow cross my soul.
“Please.” I blinked back my tears. “I need to hold him.”I need to say hello before I miss the chance.“Please.”
“Alright, one second.” The nurse stopped protesting and started maneuvering all the tubes attached to Liam.
As soon as he was in my arms, my tears started flowing freely. He felt like home in my arms. Like a piece of my soul was staring back at me. “Hey, baby boy.”
His eyes stayed closed. I knew he was sleeping. I knew that, but for some reason, his closed eyes overwhelmed me.Open your eyes. Open your eyes for me, Liam.It was like I could feel him slipping away from me. I watched as my tears fell, staining his cheeks. And he still didn’t move. He was so still and it terrified me.Open your eyes. Please.
James wrapped his arms around me from behind, holding me steady. I had fixed things with him. Miraculously, he hadforgiven me for everything. But I couldn’t fix this. I didn’t know how to heal my son.
“What are we going to do?” I whispered. I wasn’t even sure if James heard me. But then he kissed the side of my neck.
“We’re going to wait.” His breath was hot in my ear, giving me a sense of comfort. “And pray. And be with him as much as possible.”
“But you’re not religious.”
“Praying to a God you didn’t think you believed in during a crisis sometimes makes a believer out of the most hardened of souls. It makes you hope that miracles can happen.”
I sniffed, trying to stop my tears. “Did you read that somewhere?” It was beautiful.
“No, it’s just…true.”
I turned my head to look up at him.
He reached out and gently wiped away my tears. “God, if you’re out there, please heal our son,” he said. “Please watch over him. Let us bring him home.”
Whatever tears he had wiped away started falling freely again.
“And let Penny’s memories keep coming back. Let her heal.”
“And let James heal too,” I added. I still needed to talk to him about what exactly had happened to him. But it wastrue, praying to a God we didn’t necessarily believe in couldn’t possibly hurt. “Amen?”
“Amen,” James confirmed.
Liam kicked one of his feet out and my tears were replaced with a smile. I definitely remembered him kicking me. A lot. It had been his favorite hobby. But the kick didn’t seem as strong as it had in my stomach.
