Page 88 of Every Single Vow
“Ari.” I open my arm, welcoming her for a hug.
I know she’s been worried sick.
She comes immediately, squeezing me tight.
“Is she going to leave me too?” She whispers.
The question sends a spear through my heart. “No,” I answer, pulling back to look at her. “She’s a fighter. Most stubborn woman I know.”
She nods, her eyes full of worry.
“Son,” my father calls from the doorway, his expression filled with empathy.
“Would you like to sit with her a minute?” I ask Ari.
She nods her head, taking my seat as I stand. My whole body hurts as I stretch my back.
“You can touch her, sweetheart,” my mom tells Ari with a hand to her back.
I catch eyes with my father, following him into the hallway.
“Everyone is down in the waiting room. Even Ryder.”
I rub my eyes, trying to keep myself in check. She has no idea the amount of people that love her.
“You doing ok?” He asks.
I scrub a hand across my face. “I just need her to wake up. Hear her voice.”
I stare at the linoleum, my mind racing.Guiltflowing through my veins. Guilt of how this is allmyfault.
“I can tell what you’re thinking.” He squeezes my shoulder. “Don’t go there.”
I lean back, sagging against the wall. “He wanted revenge dad.” I have to pause to gather my wits. “Revenge for something she didn’t even do.”
He steps closer, his face lowering to my ear. “You did what you had to do to protect her.”
I remember his exact words from eight years ago. They made sense then. The catalyst behind what we crafted. Wehadto, to protect her. And getting Billy out of Mayson Ridge and away from Dakota was the only way.
I protected her.
But at what cost?
He steps back and his eyes hold mine.
I feel myself breaking. The weight too much.
His voice lowers. “You had no idea she’d be in the truck that night.”
Even though his words are true, it still stings. I didn’t know she’d be with him the night I snuck that backpack full of drugs into Billy’s backseat. I had no idea she’d be in the truck when I made the phone call about a reckless driver. And I had no idea that she would see an opportunity, just like I did, and take it.
“We do whatever it takes for the people we love. I’d give you that money all over again if it meant it put that mean bastard away and gave her the peace that she deserved. And if she would have known it was you, that knowledge would have hurt her more than helped her.”
My throat clogs, the emotion stomping my chest. If she dies…. If she loses her life because of my choices.
“He’s gone, Coop. Billy Sterling will never get to her again.” He puts both palms on my shoulders. “Some things are meant to be left in the past.”
I hold his gaze, letting what he’s saying sink in. All that matters now is that Billy Sterling died in that car crash. And my wife was finally free.
