I can’t lose another man I...love.
I rip off one of my shoes and launch towards them before I think about what I’m doing.
“Gemma, fuck!”Drew yells as my arm swings through the air.I feel the heel make impact a split second before Leroy’s elbow snaps up and catches me under the chin.
Then the world goes black.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
DREW
––––––––
Zoe stares at me fromher grandmother’s lap as I hold an ice pack against my cheek, then scrambles off and heads my way.
“Up.”She lifts her arms.
I glance at Natalie, and she shrugs, giving me a small smile.Gemma’s father, Graham Lennon, isn’t smiling.He’s got his back to us all, staring out the window.
I guess I can’t blame him.
Gemma was my date, and I was responsible for her safety tonight.
“Dwoo.”Zoe taps my legs.
Christ.
I lean down with one arm and lift her onto my hip.My chest does this little wobbly thing when she rests her head on my shoulder.
Finally, Gemma is wheeled back into the room by a nurse.
“No broken bones, just a few bruises, including her ribs,” the nurse announces to us, helping Gemma out of the chair.
She glances up at me holding her daughter, and her cheeks turn red.“Mom, she should be in bed.”
“How do you feel?”I ask.