Page 22 of A Perfect Holiday
“Won’t this be hard on you?”
“It’s not going to be easy, but Boone, nothing worthwhile ever is. I love you and Verity so much. You deserve to have a house full of children if that’s what you want. You both have so much to give. Let me be the vessel of your joy and commitment to each other.”
“I can’t speak for Verity, but for myself? Yes. I accept, with all my heart.”
“Exactly. I think she’s floundering right now, so Booker and I discussed it and agree that it might be best to tell you and have you bring it up to her. They’ll have to harvest her eggs and your sperm first. Then by artificial insemination fertilize her egg with your sperm.”
I flushed at that, but Breebree was completely doctor-like and never cracked a smile.
“Then I’ll be the surrogate. It will totally be your genetic material, and the child would be as if you’d conceived it naturally. Then, nine months later—voilà. You’ve got yourself a son or daughter.”
“Thank you, Breebree. I don’t have the words to thank you adequately.” I turned my head, and saw my brother standing at the sliding glass door. Our eyes met, and I felt such gratitude and love for him, and for Braxton. They had always had my back and always would. He smiled and nodded, and I nodded back. It was all we needed.
For the rest of the evening I walked around feeling like a beacon light was aglow within. We had options. We could move forward with a second, and maybe even a third child, if that worked out.
I was both happy and apprehensive about talking to Verity about it, so when the next day rolled around and we went to mass with her family and then to dinner, I was still kicking around the best way to tell her about the offer.
I also was wrestling with my own secret. I knew I had to talk to her about it, and mustn’t put it off anymore.
After dinner, Verity’s father pulled me aside and asked me about building a shed behind the rectory to store the numerous church decorations. I agreed and walked out to scout out the place and take notes.
When I came up to the front of the church, my intention was to scoot between it and the rectory for a quick shortcut. As I approached, I saw a small figure sitting on the church stairs with a prone beagle next to him, and my heart lurched up into my throat. I dropped the pad and pen and started running.
“Geezus! Henry? My, God. Henry!” His face was swollen on one side, his lip split and still bleeding. Bonkers wagged his tail and tried to move, but cried out loudly and then whimpered. Henry was crying hard, snot and tears mingling, and he was holding his arm at a strange angle. His shoulder was almost certainly dislocated.
“Verity!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. “Verity!”
She came racing out of the house, her parents and Ethan right behind her. When she saw Henry, she made a soft sound and rushed to us. “Oh, God, Boone. What happened?”
“I don’t know. I found him like this. We have to get him to Doc’s right away,” my voice fierce. “I think his shoulder is dislocated.” I felt frantic, but knew I had to keep it together for Henry’s sake. He had already been through something violent, and me losing my shit over it wasn’t going to help calm him.
“Easy,” I told him. “Everything’s going to be okay. It’s okay.”
I shot a look at Verity, handing her my keys and she made a beeline for the car. “I know you’re pretty scared, and you’re hurt, but I’m going to help you. We’re going to keep you safe.”
Henry nodded, a fearful anxiety pinching his face, his eyes glimmering with fresh tears.
A fierce tightness clamped around my lungs. I scooped my arms under Henry. His bones were so small, so fragile, and I had to swallow to keep my throat from closing up when he moaned when I adjusted my grip on him. When Verity drove up, I said, “Ethan, the dog is hurt. Could you take him to the vet?”
“Absolutely. What’s his name?”
“Bonkers.”
He gently slipped his hands under the dog, and Bonkers let out a howling cry. Ethan swore viciously under his breath and Henry buried his face in my neck and started crying again. As fast as Ethan could go with the injured dog, he got to his car, put Bonkers into the back seat and drove off.
“We’ll meet you at the hospital,” Verity’s father said when he pulled open the passenger side door and I got in.
An hour later, Verity used her phone while Henry had been cleaned up and X-rayed. She was now cuddling him while she whispered to him. No broken bones, but his shoulder was dislocated, and I helped Doc Rust get it back in the socket. Now the initial shock had passed, my anger was hissing and bubbling like lava. I deep breathed through everything while Doc Rust gave me worried looks as he took care of Henry.
As soon as Henry was set and his arm in a sling, I headed for the door.
“Boone! No! Don’t go after him!” Verity said
I couldn’t answer. I had only one focus. To find Baker and fucking kill the bastard. My thoughts were chaotic, and blind rage took over, expanding like a tempest while I stormed down the hall.
I stepped out into the waiting room, and my brothers were standing at the door. That’s why Verity had been on her phone previously. She had wanted to make sure I didn’t go after Baker. Both my brothers had a familiar, determined look on their faces, and I growled. “Get out of my way!”
Neither one of them moved, and I advanced on them, intending to bulldoze my way through, but one grabbed me around the waist and the other around the upper chest. I struggled, but they bore me back and held me against the wall.
