“I don’t want you to go,” I confessed and didn’t give a single fuck at how that made me sound.
She smiled shyly. “I don’t want to go either, but you need to rest, and Copper and Layla will be here with Riley and Braxton any minute.”
“Can they come visit me?” I asked hopefully. I had been repeatedly reassured that the children were okay, but I wanted to see them for myself.
Avery shook her head. “No, they can’t. The hospital policy doesn’t allow children in the ICU. Trust me; they’ve asked every nurse and doctor they’ve met in this hospital if they could come visit you.”
“Tell them I love them and that I can’t wait to see them.”
“I will,” she said and then her eyes widened. “I almost forgot. Um, Riley told Copper she now hates mermaids because that’s what caused you to wreck. Do you have any idea what she’s talking about?”
My brows furrowed and I shook my head. “I don’t have a clue what she could be talking about, but the last thing I remember is the teacher helping them into my truck. How in the hell would a mermaid cause me to have a wreck?”
Avery shrugged. “I don’t know. I was planning to ask her about it when Copper brings her to visit, but I thought I’d ask you first.”
“Well, let me know what she says.”
“I will,” she promised and leaned forward to kiss my hand.
I brought her fingers to my lips and kissed the back of her hand in return. “I love you, Avery. Thank you for making me a father and giving me a beautiful baby girl.”
Her cheeks flushed and she looked down at her lap. “I love you, too.”
“Oh, send Copper up when he gets here,” I said as she was being wheeled away.
“I’m here,” Copper said. I watched as he took Avery’s hand and spoke to her for a few moments before he entered the room. “Fuck, brother, it’s good to see you awake and talking. You scared the ever-loving shit out of us.”
He reached out and I thought he was going to shake my hand, but to my utter surprise, Prez pulled me in for the gentlest of bear hugs. “Thanks for saving my ass, Prez.”
“Don’t thank me. I let you fall.”
“Fuck that. I thought I was fine. Neither one of us knew I was going to faint. And they way it was told to me, you jumped into that cold ass water to get me, not knowing how deep that water was.”
Copper waved his hand dismissively. “Me and a few of the brothers jumped off that bridge a few times when we were in high school. We knew how deep it was.”
“Seriously, Prez, you pulled us all out of that wreck and got us to the hospital. May not have been the way you intended, but it all turned out the same. Thank you.”
“Aw, are you fuckers gonna cry without me?” Bronze asked as he made his way into the room.
Copper slapped the back of his head. “Who let you in here?”
Bronze looked over his shoulder and turned back with a sly grin on his face. “That pretty little nurse over there.”
“Please don’t fuck over the people who are keeping me alive,” I said.
“That means don’t fuck the people keeping him alive,” Copper added.
Bronze scoffed and feigned offense. “I’m hurt.”
“You’re going to be if you don’t shut your mouth and keep your dick in your pants,” Copper grumbled.
I laughed and then groaned in pain. “Look what you did. Out, Bronze.”
Bronze got to his feet. “Yeah, yeah, brother.” He reached out and shook my hand. “Glad you’re on the mend, man. He’s been a cranky asshole since we fished you out of the water.”
34
Avery
