Page 141 of The Backup Plan

“I’m trying to save you.” The words feel lame the second they leave my mouth.

“Save me from what?” he snaps. “From being who I am? From making my own goddamn decisions about how I choose to live my life?”

I swallow. “From losing the use of your arm. From chronic pain that might not sound like a big deal now but add in arthritis and old age and it’ll be unbearable. From not being able to hold your own kid someday without hurting.”

“I don’t have kids.”

“But you might. Hell, you have a whole life left waiting for you that you haven’t even lived yet.”

His jaw clenches. His hands curl into fists at his sides.

“Emery.” My name sounds so loaded. “You were supposed to fix me. You’re the one who loves fixing broken things.” Anger bleeds through his words. “You said it yourself. So fix this.”

“I do like fixing broken things, Lucas, but I’m not a miracle worker.”

“Guess that makes the incredible Dr. Porter human, huh?”

“Fuck you, Lucas. Fuck. You.” I spit the words out and regret them instantly. “I get you’re angry. I get you’re pissed your body failed you. But don’t kill the goddamn messenger on something you knew was going to happen eventually.”

He stares at me, chest rising and falling, and words weighing heavily between us.

No shouting. No arguing. Just silence . . . and somehow that’s even worse.

“Say something,” I whisper as desperation claws its way out of my chest. “Say fucking anything. Yell at me. Scream at me. Fucking fight me.”

He doesn’t though. He just looks at me like I’ve already taken everything he had left.

“I’m going to keep playing,” he finally says. “With or without your support.”

“You know what you’re risking—”

“I do know. You did your job. You informed me of the consequences. Forgive me if I don’t care.”

“Right now, you don’t, but in five years? Ten? You’ll care.”

“Then I’ll worry about it then.”

“Fucking hell,” I shout. “Why won’t you let me support you—”

“Because if supporting me means standing in front of me and telling me to quit, then I don’t want you anywhere near me,” he explodes, stepping into my space.

“Anywhere near you?” I shout back. “Do you think I wanted to hurt you? To be the one to—”

“Yes!” he shouts back and stuns me.

“Yes? Yes?” The words rip out of me as hurt radiates through me. “If you think I purposely want to hurt the man I love then I guess you don’t know me at all.”

The room goes dead silent.

Lucas freezes, although his shoulders are heaving and the muscle in his jaw ticking. His eyes search my face like he’s trying to figure out if he heard me right.

And he did.

Too bad, I’d never planned for those words to come out. And especially not like that.

“What did you say?” he asks, voice hoarse.

A tear slips down my cheek, but I don’t bother wiping it away.