It has taken every ounce of my willpower to not turn and rush to her after I asked her if that was all she had to say. One thing I know about Andi, she’ll keep her word. She said she’d leave if I wanted her to go, and she’ll keep that promise.
As that very thought manifests in my mind, it’s at this exact moment that the ton of bricks is dropped on my head.
I know her.
“You know her, man. Andi wouldn’t do that to you, Luke.”
Shane and Brandon have both assured me of her loyalty in the past, but the circumstances showed me otherwise. By the time the words of the song that’s playing softly in the background reach my ears, I realize that she’s purposely chosen this song to play for me. Even after the song I hurt her with, she still chose one that conveys her love for me. It’s just now at the part about having not made up my mind yet, but that she wouldn’t treat me wrong.
A strange clicking noise pulls me from my internal battle, and my first thought is she’s already at the door, leaving. Whirling around, I freeze in my tracks as the realization of what that noise is hits me.
What the hell happened to her?
She’s limping across the floor on crutches. Her right leg is in a cast from thigh to toe, and she’s struggling so hard just to walk the several feet to the door. She came all the way up here to my room like this—alone, struggling, and hurting in more ways than one. Her body jerks slightly from her soft sobs, but she tries her best to hide them. Even now, she doesn’t want pity or to impose on me by asking for help. She’ll bear this burden alone, without putting any of it on my shoulders to bear.
Nothing will stop my Andi when she has her mind made up that she wants something. That something was me. But I turned it down, turned her away, and left her to fight through the pain without my help.
She reaches the door, maneuvers one crutch under her arm as she leans on the other, and extends her hand to grab the doorknob. This jolts me into action, and I sprint across the suite faster than I’ve ever moved in my life. Sliding my arms under hers and clasping them in the middle of her chest, I gently pull her body back to lean against my chest. Giving her the extra support she needs, I hold her up as I lightly squeeze her to me.
Leaning my head down, my mouth is beside her ear, and I can’t help but nuzzle my nose into her hair. “Don’t go,” I plead. “Don’t leave.”
Unable to contain her quiet cries any longer, she completely breaks as sobs ripple through her body. Her wails kill me because I know I’m mostly to blame for them. I helped create them, and I want nothing more than to take them away from her now. How we’ll ever really fix this is beyond me, but I know it’s not over. We’re not done. This love is too strong to just throw it away without putting up the fight of my life.
I may have been knocked down, but I’m not down for the count.
“Let me help you,” I cajole softly.
When she loosens her grip on one of the crutches, I lean it against the wall and gently do the same with the other one. Gathering her in my arms, I easily lift her, making sure to give extra support to the broken leg. Even with the heavy cast, it’s painfully obvious that she’s lost a lot of weight. Carrying her to the bedroom, I place her gingerly on the bed and grab the extra pillows to prop her leg up.
Now that I’m finally looking at her face, her neck, her chest, and her arms, I’m in shock. My blood is reaching supernova temperature from just thinking that someone has hurt her. Travis’s face flashes in my mind, and I instantly want to tear him limb from limb. I don’t even look like this after several rounds in the ring. She looks like she’s been severely beaten.
“Who did this to you, Andi?” I ask through gritted teeth.
Someone needs to pay for this in a bad way. Whoever hurt her will be hunted down and put through the ringer, courtesy of yours truly.
