Page 92 of Mine Forever
All roads lead back to me and my fucked-up ways. The best thing I can do for her is to let her go.
Now I just need to remember this when I see her.
A few moments later, Eden’s wheeled back in and can hardly keep her eyes open.
There will be no meaningful conversation tonight.
She snoozes while we wait for Nate, who arrives within the hour.
We get Eden loaded up and she goes back to sleep in the front seat. It’s a quiet ride to our end of the island.
“Looks like the power’s been restored,” Nate says, as we pull up to my gate.
“We were lucky this time.”
“No kidding.”
He pulls up to the front door. “Need any help?”
“No, we’ll be fine.”
He eyes me over his shoulder. “How areyou?”
I look out the side window. “I’m good.”
“You sure about that?”
I meet his eyes. “Positive. I’m not worried about me right now. I need to get Eden inside and settled. I’ll worry about me later.”
Nate sighs. “Okay, fine. Do you need any help?”
“Just get the doors for me.” I toss him my keys to open the front door.
Minutes later, Nate has left and I’ve settled Eden into bed.
The nurse told me signs I need to look for from Eden overnight, things I already knew from the time a ball bounced off the mound wrong and knocked my ass out.
It was the only time I’d ever missed a start, and I’d had a headache for days.
After setting her pain meds and a bottle of water on the nightstand, I squat down beside the bed, studying her.
The soft curves of her face are etched in my mind.
The way her lashes brush the top of her cheekbones makes her seem almost angelic.
With a quivering hand, I brush back some strands that escaped her ponytail as she murmurs something under her breath I can’t decipher.
The pain in my chest aches like a bitch.
It’s like someone has reached in and pulled out my heart while it’s still beating.
The need to move is overwhelming, so I stand and leave her to rest.
In the living room, I head for the liquor cabinet, pouring two fingers of whiskey and throwing it back.
The burn of the whiskey replaces the churning in my gut.
I don’t want to let her leave again. But my selfish ways will always end up being an issue where she’ll end up hurt.
