Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 90315 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90315 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
I blink at her, nausea filling me.
“I could ruin that entire ranch of yours. It would be a pity, since it’s so beautiful.”
I’m shaking my head, but she keeps talking.
“None of that fills me with joy. It’s disgusting. But I want what’s best for my daughter, and that’s just not you, Gideon. It’s nothing personal, it’s just the facts. Now, we’re leaving immediately.”
“Surely she shouldn’t be moved—”
“Goodbye, Mr. James.” Her eyebrow lifts. “You are dismissed.”
“Let me—”
“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be,” Bishop says as he joins us. “You have to go, Gid.”
“Can’t I just say goodbye?” My voice is so rough, so strained, and for the first time since I’ve known her, I see the president soften, just a little.
“You can have five minutes,” she says.
I swallow hard and step back into the room just as Lena’s dad approaches me to leave. His eyes are wet as he pats me on the shoulder, and then, without a word, he walks away, shutting the door behind him.
She looks so fucking small.
I approach the bed, take her hand in mine again, and lean down to kiss every knuckle before I push up and kiss her cheek, soaking in her softness. Her goodness.
“You’re the sweetest fucking thing,” I whisper shakily, and decide fuck it and climb onto the bed with her once again and pull her against me.
This is the last time I’ll hold her in my arms.
Because her mother’s right. I’m not good enough for her. I can’t keep her out of harm’s way. I’ve failed her twice.
“I love you, baby.” I pepper kisses on the top of her head, careful to avoid her injury. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m so sorry that I failed you tonight. Fuck, I’m sorry.”
I draw in a shaky breath. Christ, my heart feels like it’s been torn from my body and set on fire. How am I supposed to do this? How am I supposed to say goodbye to the person I love most in the world?
“If you ever need anything, you reach out to me. Fuck, I wish you could hear me.” My hand drags up and down her bare arm, and even though she’s unconscious, it makes goose bumps pebble on her skin. “You’re everything good in this life, Lena. You deserve nothing but the best, and I—” I swallow hard. “I hope you find it, baby.”
I lie with her for another minute, and then I kiss her lips softly before pulling away and standing from the bed.
Christ.
I have to go. If I don’t go now, I won’t ever do it, so I stride out of the room, ignoring Bishop and the others, and down the hallway, my chest aching more and more with every step that I take away from the love of my life.
Every cell in my body is screaming for me to go back in that room and hold her to me. To never let her go.
I promised that she could stay with me forever, if that’s what she wants.
She was supposed to be my wife.
But the president wasn’t wrong. I couldn’t do my job or keep her safe. I failed. How can I possibly think that I’m good enough for her to spend the rest of her life with?
I walk out to the waiting room, where Willow and Ryker both stand and rush over to me.
“What’s going on?” Ryker demands, his jaw firming when he sees my face.
“Where’s Lena?” Willow asks.
“She’s leaving.” My voice is hoarse. My world is falling the fuck apart. “It’s all over. She’s going home.”
“The ranch is her home,” Willow says, shaking her head.
“No.” I head for the doors, needing to get out of this hospital. Needing to get back to my house. “It’s not. Her parents are with her, and they’re taking her back to DC where she belongs.”
They’re flanking me, keeping up with me as I march to the SUV parked close by.
“But you’ll go with them, right?” Willow asks. “And then when she’s better, you’ll both be coming back?”
I shake my head and climb into the vehicle.
“No. It’s over. It’s all fucking over. Let’s go home.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lena
I have a headache the size of the Grand Canyon, and every inch of my body hurts. I’m afraid to open my eyes, so I start by stretching out my fingers and toes, and even that aches.
What the fuck happened?
I feel like I fell off a cliff and was unlucky enough to survive.
I bend my knees and elbows and whimper with the ache of it. My shoulder is singing in pain.
“Someone’s waking up.” I don’t know that voice. “Take your time, Lena. Take it slow. You’ve been unconscious for three days.”
Three days?
That can’t be right.
“Gideon.” I try to say it out loud, but all that comes out is a croak.