Page 77 of Saving His Heart
Chapter 32
Emory
Preston has not stopped apologizing or berating himself for last night. Once I could locate the bedroom, I hooked him up to the ECG, but he fell asleep halfway through my exam. I spent my wedding night realizing I am in love with the man I just married, and he will not live to see our first Christmas together.
With a sadness I never knew existed, I forwarded the results to Dr. Terry, who just delivered them to Preston over a video call. I sit, barely breathing on the edge of the bed while he sits in the chair five feet away. He is staring, but not truly seeing me. The phone is still in his hand, but he isn’t holding it, and it slips from his fingers.
“Preston?”
“We should call Ash and tell him to get ahold of Loki. If anyone can do that, I’m willing to be it’s him,” he is speaking on autopilot. “My lawyer’s name is Ben Simmons. You’ll need to call him when it happens. He knows what to do and will have everything to you within hours. On the way home today, we should call the chef and have them prepare. We can have everyone to the house for brunch after Trevor’s wedding. That’s probably the soonest I can tell everyone without ruining the next forty-eight hours—”
“Preston!” My voice is terrifying to my own ears, so I’m not surprised when he snaps to attention, standing immediately he is in front of me before I can blink.
“Sweetheart.” It’s a pained whisper as he sinks to the carpet before me. Cradling my face in his powerful hands, we lock eyes, and I see an eternity pass between us. “I’m so sorry. I’ve spent my adult life avoiding love. What kind of monster slaps me in the face with it only to rip it away so soon? I never meant to hurt you like this. My life, our life has spiraled in ways I could never have predicted. Everything happened so fast. Part of me wishes I could turn back time—”
“What? No. No, Preston, please don’t say that,” I cry.
“The other part of me—” His shoulders hunch over. His pain escapes in a sound that will haunt all of my nights. “The other part of me wouldn’t change a thing because I got to know this girl, this really fucking amazing girl with so much love and kindness in her soul. I got to know you, Emory, and love you the way you deserve. Please, please, promise me you’ll find someone to love you as I do. Never settle for anything less than perfection because that’s what you are, Emory. You’re perfect, never let anyone tell you differently.”
“Why do you do this?”
“Do what, Goldie?”
“Stop trying to take care of me. This isn’t about me, Preston. You don’t have to manage me. I’m stronger than I look.”
He cracks a smile.
As I sit here ugly crying before this man, I look anything but strong. Damnit, I am, though.Pull your shit together, Emory.
“You’re the strongest woman I know.”
“Then, please, tell me what I can do.”
Sadly, he shakes his head no. “I’ll need your strength to get through this wedding.” He swallows loudly. “And I’ll need you after—after when I have to say good-bye to everyone I love.” My handsome, powerful man breaks.
Resting his head in my lap, I hold him, smoothing back his hair as grief crashes into his body.
“I had plans, Ems. Plans for everyone. I was supposed to take care of everyone. I didn’t want to leave a mess. I wanted everything to be easier than when my dad died. I-I failed everyone.”
“Oh, Preston. That isn’t your responsibility. People are going to be a mess, but not because you didn’t take care of everything. Not because you didn’t plan or because you didn’t organize things. They’ll all be a mess because they love you. They will be a mess because they lost someone far too young, someone who had so much good left to do in this world. But—” I have to pause as more tears flow. “The thing about your family, Preston, is they’ll take care of each other because that’s what you would have wanted. They’ll carry each other through on the hard days. They’ll remember you together and love you forever.”
There is a loud knock at the door, and I know he has used all the energy he can at the moment. “Is that the car?”
“Yes,” he sighs.
Kissing him softly, I pull away. “I’ll tell them we’ll be a few minutes, stay here. I’ll be back to help with everything.”
He nods, and I see the exhaustion consuming him.This wedding is going to be the end of him, and he knows it.
* * *
The rehearsal isas crazy as I would expect after getting to know this group. Lanie’s daughters, Harper and Sara, refuse to walk down the aisle. Harper won’t even leave Preston’s lap, which has been a blessing in disguise. He sits in the back, cradling her, conserving his energy.
“Okay, Preston. We have upgraded you from groomsman to flowerman,” Julia, more manic than ever, yells across the room.
“Ah, what does that entail?” I ask hesitantly.
“Don’t worry, he just has to walk the girls down the aisle since apparently, they haven’t learned the art of not giving a shit from their buddy, Charlie.” I look in the direction she is gesturing to find Trevor chasing the naked little boy around the room, trying desperately to get a pull-up on him.
