Page 49 of Letters From a Broken Heart
I nod my head, understanding what he’s saying. He doesn’t want to lose his wife.
“But I don’t want to talk about her. I want to talk about you. I’ve barely seen you since Jack died and I want to know how you’re doing.”
“I'll be great as long as she’s ok,” I whisper, staring into the hallway, wishing she’d appear there.
“How’s work?”
Dad does his best to distract me over the next hour and when Taylor’s stretcher is wheeled back into the room, I almost cry with happiness.
“How are you feeling?” I settle on the side of Taylor’s bed and brush her hair out of her face.
“I'm tired,” she says softly.
“She was given some sedatives while we did the biopsy. She’s going to be tired for a little while. We also did some blood work. As soon as all the tests come back, we’ll be back in with the results. Until then, try to rest and press the call button if you need anything.” The nurse smiles before exiting the room.
“I'm sorry, Mr. Maxwell.” Taylor rolls her head on the pillow to look at Dad.
“You have no reason to apologize, sweetheart.” Dad stands and comes around to the other side of the bed. He mirrors my position, sitting on the edge of the bed and takes her hand in his. “You haven’t done anything wrong. I love you and I'm happy you and Easton are together. You just have to promise to give me some cute grandbabies within the next few years.” He leans forward and presses a soft kiss to her temple.
“I’d love to do that. Thank you for not being mad.”
“I'm not sure I could ever be mad at you, Taylor. You were born to be in this family, and I knew your place would always be with Easton.”
Taylor’s eyes fly open and she tries her hardest to focus on him, but she’s still so drowsy from the medication.
“Go to sleep.” Dad chuckles and shakes his head. “We can talk later. I'll get out of your hair, but when you’re ready to leave, give me a call and I’ll come back to get you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“If you need anything at all, you call me, Easton. I'm always here for you, no matter what.”
I nod my head as emotion clogs my throat. Though I expected emotions today, I didn’t expect this. I thought both of my parents would be disappointed. I didn’t think Mom would lose it and Dad would be cheering us on.
He’s right though, we can't give Mom a pass. Her words were hurtful, even if she might not truly feel that way, she still can't say things like that. She needs to apologize and prove she can do better. If not, she won't have a place in my life or Taylor’s.
Taylor’s all that matters now. I’ll do whatever I can to protect the woman I love, even if it means walking away from Mom forever.
Chapter 20
Taylor
“Is everything ok?” I ask softly as I interlace my fingers with Easton’s.
He looks exhausted, both mentally and physically. I can only imagine how he’s feeling after the things Mrs. Maxwell said to him.
I know this is all my fault. If I weren’t dating him, everything would be fine in the Maxwell family. Maybe I shouldn’t be involved in any of this. For all I know, Easton’s sitting there thinking I'm not worth all the trouble he’s dealing with.
“Wherever your head is right now, you need to stop it. None of this is your fault.” He scoots a little closer and wraps an arm around my shoulders. I move over even more to make room for him.
“I'm not worth it. Your family-”
Easton cuts me off with a stern look and pinched brows. He shakes his head and lets out a humorless chuckle.
“Don’t you get it, baby? You are my family.”
“But your mom…”
“My mom will get over it, or she’ll accept she lost the only son she has left.”
