Page 9 of Entwined Hearts
Her expression shifted, like I had presented her with an offer she didn’t know whether to accept or not. “Weston…”
“Please.” My voice cracked. “I know I don’t have the right to ask you for anything. But…don’t go. Not yet. Not again.”
Her face went from overwhelmed to offended, with the same small crease between her brows that she’d get back then when I’d steal her last French fry. “That’s not fair, and you know it.”
I dropped my hand, my head falling back against the pillows with a sigh. “I know. I’m sorry. I’ve just missed talking to you.”
“I’m glad you’re okay. Really,” she said and took another step back from me, and my heart plummeted. I knew then I had gone too far. “But I can’t…today has beentoomuch. Beau and Colt are waiting to see you anyway. I shouldn’t hog you anymore.”
“Savannah,” I pleaded, looking at her again. She was too far for me to see her clearly, and I wanted to jump out of the bed and bring her closer again, but I couldn’t.
“Get some rest, Weston. I’m sure I’ll see you around,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She didn’t look back when she said it, and I told myself it had to be because if she had, maybe she wouldn’t have left at all. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.
The door shut behind her, and it felt like she took all the oxygen with it. I let my eyes drift shut, and despite the morphine’s best efforts, I couldn’t sleep. Even with my spacey head, I couldn’t stop thinking of Sav. Couldn’t stop thinking about the fall. I’d never gotten this banged up, never had this close of a call.
I’d seen guys leave the arena worse than this, but I never thought it could happen to me. And now that it had…
“Fuck,” I whispered to myself, running my free hand over my face. Tonight hadn’t gone how I planned at all. I was supposed to win a buckle and not see Savannah. Not nearly get trampled and face the past that haunted me.
A few moments later, the door opened again, but I didn’t open my eyes. Maybe if I didn’t acknowledge them, they’d just leave.
“You’ve always been terrible at pretendin’ to sleep, you know,” Beau said. “You look like dog shit.” I flipped him off with my right hand.
“You’re no beauty queen yourself,” I replied, squinting over at him in the chair Savannah was just sitting in. “And that’swiththe drugs they got me on.”
“You scared the shit out of us, Weston,” Colt said at the foot of my bed, arms crossed over his chest.
Jesus, they really didn’t know how to lay off a guy when he was down. “I know.”
“Yeah, Colt nearly cried,” Beau added.
Colt shot him a glare. “I did not.”
“I don’t know, pretty sure I heard a few sniffles.”
“It was the dust from the arena. Got in my eyes.”
I started to laugh, but winced. “You gotta stop. Hurts like hell to laugh.”
“Then maybe don’t decide to see what it’d be like to fly when you’re on the back of a goddamn bull,” Beau said, the humor in his voice gone. “The hell was that? You look away for two seconds, and then you’re in the air like a rag doll?”
“What can I say? The air was calling my name,” I murmured. I knew I fucked up; I didn’t need big brother Beau to remind me again. The months I was about to go without riding were punishment enough.
“Well, next time, ignore the call,” Colt said. “Okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I got it.”
It was silent after that, the atmosphere in the room tense. I knew I scared them, scared everyone, for that matter. Hell, I scared myself. But there was nothing I could do about it now, so there was no point in crying about it.
“I think that’s the first time you never got up,” Beau said quietly.
“You didn’t even stay down that time you nearly got folded in half in Sugar Land. You popped up with cracked ribs and grinned like you were on the red carpet.”
“I was younger then,” I said. More like reckless. “Had something to prove.”
“What made tonight any different?” Beau asked.
“Now I know who’d wait all night to make sure I’m okay,” I replied quietly, unable to look at either of them. And I knew it wasn’t just them, but a lot of people. They were my people. My family. I wasn’t related to any of them by blood, but blood didn’t matter. It never had.
