Page 159 of The Rebel

“It’s time to move on, son.” Dad was speaking directly to Rhett. “It’s my fault you feel the way you do. I ingrained thosefeelings in you at a young age, and you’re just as competitive as your old man. You want the best, and the Spades were getting in your way. I can’t fault you for that, but what I can tell you and show you”—he pointed at his chest—“is that life is too short.”

Dad’s hand went to the back of my head, holding it. “When I’m gone, your sister and her beautiful baby, your brother and Daisy, and your mother are all you’re going to have left. So, if you’re going to be angry with someone, be angry with me. Not the Spades. Not your sister. And not her unborn child.”

I found Dad’s fingers and clasped them within mine. “I l-love y-you.” I fixed my gaze on Rhett. “And I-I love y-you.” I wiped my eyes. “I feel like I-I’ve lost my b-brother, and now, I’m l-losing my dad, and it’s—” My voice cut off as my father wrapped his arms around me.

The emotion had only partly come through, and now, it was racking my body, my breath coming out in pants. My muscles spasming, my stomach churning.

The pain was one thing. But the fear of losing someone I loved was entirely different, and it caused the angst to rock through me.

The feeling didn’t shed from my body. It poured out like a dam had been lifted.

And while I felt the warmth of my dad’s embrace, there was suddenly a whole new set of strength that moved around me.

That held me.

That wrapped his tight arms across my body, hands that landed on my stomach below.

I tried to see through the tears, knowing they were Ridge’s, so I didn’t know why I was bothering to look.

But when I saw the tattoo on his thumb, the tiny lion with the long mane, I found myself crying even harder.

“Rh-Rhett,” I whispered, which was as loud as I could get, “don’t ever let me go again.”

THIRTY-FIVE

Cooper

“How’s your dad?” I asked Rowan when she walked into the kitchen after a visit with her father, closing my laptop and setting it on the table to focus solely on her.

She placed her purse on the counter as she made her way into the living room and sighed before she said, “Ornery.”

She’d dressed in what had become my favorite getup. Yoga pants and a tank, a sweater hanging at her sides. What the outfit also showed, aside from her incredible curves, was the small bump she was finally sporting.

I couldn’t get enough of it.

Every time she was within reach, I would rub it. Like I was planning to do now as I waved her over.

As she neared the chair I was sitting in, I captured her, and as I wrapped my arms around her, I pressed my face to her belly.

“What do you mean, ornery?”

“When I dote on him, he kicks me out.” She rested her hands on top of my head. “Which is why I’m home. He literally told me to leave.” She groaned. “His housekeeper can do everything forhim, and he doesn’t bitch. I offered to get him a drink when he started coughing, and by the way he reacted, you’d have thought I was committing a sin.”

I kissed the center of her stomach, rubbing my scruff against it. “To him, baby, you are. He doesn’t want to be a patient. He told you this. And when you ask him every five minutes if he’s okay, that drives him wild.”

“What would make you think I was doing that?”

“I know you.” I smiled. “In fact, you were probably asking him every three minutes.”

She rolled her eyes. “I can’t help it, Cooper. I’m pregnant. I want to dote on him. I want to make sure he’s okay. I have this motherly instinct that’s hormonally pulsing through me. And when I see my father needs something, I want to get it for him. When he looks like he’s in discomfort—or even if he doesn’t—I’m going to ask.”

I smiled. “Then, you’re just going to keep getting kicked out.”

She bared her teeth. “Ugh, I should bite you.”

“Just don’t be disappointed or upset when it happens.” I laughed. “Were your brothers there?”

She ran her hand over my cheek. “Rhett was. Ridge had stopped by earlier with Daisy, but I missed them.”

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