“What’d he say?” I asked, fear clawing at my chest, my throat. My voice trembled as I spoke. I wondered if she heard it.
The strength she held herself together with crumbled right before my eyes, her face falling, her eyes dimming to dull pits ofdespair. “He…” Her words dissolved into cries as she curled into herself, burying her face in her hands.
Fuck it. I pulled her into my arms, running a hand softly through her hair. I soothed her, gently rocking her back and forth. I don’t know how long we stood there like that. It could have been a minute or a few hours. All that mattered, all I cared about was her. I’d stay there all damn night if I needed to. If she wanted me to.
“He…uh…” she looked up at me, tears pooling in her eyes before slipping down her cheeks. “He threatened me…if I…if I k-keep it.”
Rage bubbled up in me. Who the hell did he think he was threatening her? “Fuck him.” Any man who had the fucking nerve to tell a woman to get rid of their unborn child wasn’t a fucking man at all. They were a coward. I tilted her face up, forcing her to meet my stare. “Don’t let his words affect your decision. You do what you think is best. For you. For that baby. Not him. Fuck him.”
Another broken sob escaped her. “He… all b-b-but adm-mitted burning d-down the trailer. I’m…I’m scared, Maverick.”
I sighed, pulling her tighter into my arms. “I won’t let him touch you or that baby.”
“Maverick.”
“I won’t,” I said, resolve hardening in my chest.
She looked up at me, sadness swimming in her gaze. “I know, Mav. But I…I can’t do it. I can’t deal with this fear. I just…I can’t—” Her shoulders shook as a new wave of sobs took over. I held her through it all, even as defeat settled like a weight in my stomach.
It wasn’t fair. I had no right to feel this way. To feel like I had any claim to this unborn baby. I can’t even explainwhyI felt like that. Maybe because I knew just how horrible it was to lose something precious. It wasn’t the same, but losing Ellie Mae, having her sweet, innocent life ripped away and ended… well, it just wasn’t fair.
And that baby didn’t do no wrong. Wouldn’t even get the chance to. Just like Ellie Mae.
I held her there until her sobs turned quiet. Until her shoulders stilled and her sniffles ceased. “I’ll take you,” I said quietly, my voice sounding hoarse as it cut through the silence. “If this is what you want, I’ll take you.”
She looked up at me, a frown on her face. “I couldn’t possibly ask that of you.”
“You ain’t. I’m offerin’. Ain’t no way in hell I’m lettin’ you do this alone.”
“Mav, I—”
I clutched her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “Let me do this for you, Chey.”
Her eyes watered, tears brewing as her bottom lip trembled. But after a moment she nodded, the next word coming out as little more than a broken, lifeless whisper. “Okay.”
Chapter thirty-one
Two Pink Lines
Cheyenne
“Let me do thisfor you, Chey.”
Maverick’s kindness nearly broke me. I didn’t deserve it, but I sure appreciated it. It was only after I choked out an “okay” that I realized the clinic would likely be closed for the holiday, not to mention it was a Sunday morning and Maverick would be getting ready to head to church. Not that he wouldn’t skip out on it for this, I had no doubt in my mind, but still, I didn’t want him to. Then there was the fact I’d have to explain our absence for Cash’s Fourth of July Bash, as well as I’d have to come up with a reason for why I wasn’t drinking… Not like I hadn’t drank my fair share last night, and it’s not like I was planning on keeping it, but still. The thought of drinking knowing I was pregnant just seemed so absolutely wrong.
I voiced all my concerns aloud to him.
“Don’t worry about me…and I can find somewhere to take you. There’s plenty of places open today.”
I exhaled slowly, wiping at my eyes even though it was no use. It was like I was perpetually crying at this point. “I can wait til tomorrow.”
“You sure?” His brow rose. “We can skip out on Cash’s party.”
I pegged him with a hard stare. “We can’t just skip your best friend’s party…on your own damn property.”
Maverick shrugged. “I’d do it if that’s what you wanted.”
Tears pricked in my eyes. Dear Lord, he was so sweet. And kind. And selfless.
