When I finally made it to the fourth floor, I bypassed the nurses’ desk. I knew right where she was when I saw the group of bikers waiting in the hall.
“Did I miss it?” I asked as I slid to a stop. Blade caught me in his arms and kept me from falling on my ass.
“Nope, but you better hurry,” he said as he held me while I got my bearings.
“I’m telling your wife you wrapped me up in your arms while she was at home waiting for news.”
“His wife is right here, bitch.” Beck smiled, and I laughed.
“Where’s the baby?”
“Home with Avery. Ellie better hurry up; I can’t stay much longer,” she whined.
“I’ll see if I can push her along,” I joked as I pushed throughthe door to her room.
I stopped just inside the room. My best friend lay in the bed, doubled over, pain etched on her face. I hated seeing her hurt.
“Grow a pair; it can’t be that bad,” I said once the contraction had let go.
“It’s about fucking time. Where the hell have you been?”
“Leave it to you to decide to have a baby when I’m trying to face my fears.” I grabbed her hand and held it tight.
“Did you make it?”
I shook my head. “Didn’t even get to the parking lot because bookboy here called when I was halfway there.”
Ryder groaned at the name Romeo had coined for him. Nicknames were our thing. Dante called me Jessabel. Ellie’s brother called her Bellie. Now that she had found him, he called me Jester.
I didn’t hate it.
Jingles had left home when he was nineteen, and Ellie was eleven. She looked for him for years, and fate brought them back together when Ellie chose Diamond Creek to have a book signing.
My best friend was award-winning international author Rayne Perry. She finally got her own happily ever after when she met Ryder.
I loved Ryder for her. The two of them were relationship goals.
If you wanted a relationship.
Which I didn’t.
That was why I avoided Grayson every chance I got. He had the power to break down my walls, and I couldn’t do it. Not even for him.
It didn’t matter that he made me feel things I’d never felt.
Like safe.
Loved.
Wanted.
My life wasn’t any different from thousands of other women. But it was still mine. At least now it was. And I was never lettinganyone else have control over it again.
“So, how long do you think this will take? Can I make it back before dark?”
Ellie laughed as Ryder scowled at me. He still didn’t get my humor.
“You’d better get comfortable. It could be awhile,” Ryder said.
