I paused a long moment. “It’s Canyon’s father, are you sure?”
She nodded and her eyes started to look glassy with tears. She turned away from me. It pained me that she felt she needed to hide emotions from me. She never had in the past. It would be my mission to give her the safety and confidence in me that she needed to share everything once again.
“I wasn’t strong enough to… press charges myself,” she closed her eyes and it killed me. I needed to hold her.
“C’mere, babe,” I patted the bed next to me and scootched over a bit.
“No, I don’t want to hurt you,” she replied in a quieter decibel that tried to cover the shakiness in her voice.
I pouted my lip out. She couldn’t deny me in a hospital bed.
But she was standing firm.
I leaned over the bed and planted a hand against her hip. I felt a small triumph in the fact that she didn’t jump away from me, she just looked at me in confusion.
I took that as permission.
Letting out a grunt, I pulled her up and into the bed.
“Grey, your ribs!”
Once I had her tucked close to me, I took a few long breaths.
Her long delicate fingers reached up and touched my jaw bone, which was surely popping out of the socket from the pain I was bearing.
“Why did you do that, you crazy!” Jules scolded.
She started to move away from me, but I pulled her back.
“Worth it,” I told her. “Kiss me and make it feel better?” I joked through deep breaths.
She finally relaxed against me, realizing she wasn’t going to win, “no kisses because I’m mad you just hurt yourself again.”
I felt a smile touch the corners of my mouth. That sounded like the old Jules.
“Okay, Lil mama.”
She turned on her side and used her free hand to draw calming strokes on my chest and stomach with her nails. I closed my eyes, embracing the comfort from the girl I loved.
A couple minutes of cuddling later, noise from the door forced my eyes open. If it was a nurse or doctor, I’d beg them to leave. This was more healing for me than they’d ever know.
But Paige popped her head in.
Seeing that the coast was clear, she ushered the rest of the crew in. I couldn’t help but feel proud of the fact that Canyon fit in so seamlessly with the group. He was comfortably chatty away with Ashlie and Smitty.
“So now that we’re all in a happy mood and we’re all together,” Paige said looking around at the group with a bright smile, “Guess what?!” She was wringing her hands in excitement, and she looked like she was about to burst.
“We’re pregnant!” Paige called out.
Max’s face stretched into the biggest grin I’d ever seen on his face, “it’s gonna be a son, I know it!”
Paige rolled her eyes at him and he placed a hand on her stomach.
“This is so exciting!” Ashlie called out.
“Congrats, man,” I told Max and I gave a wink to Paige. It was fitting for her to be a mom. “Time for a diaper party, eh?”
I turned to look down at Jules face. She was looking at Paige in a wistful way.. she seemed happy, but I detected a twinge of jealousy, maybe?
