Page 72 of Awakening

“I was thinking before you got home. I know this might seem like a lot to ask of you right now, but will you go see the baby with me tomorrow? I talked to the hospital and they’ll allow us to say a private goodbye, and then they’ll have her sent here so we can have her buried in our family cemetery. It’ll just be the two of us.”

I don’t even hesitate. “Of course.” He’s grieving. I may not be able to remember the pregnancy or our life before the accident, but I can do this with him. “Will your parents be upset that we decided to say goodbye privately?”

“Don’t worry about my parents,” he says, trailing his fingers up and down my arm. “I’ll handle them.” He pulls me in and raises my chin to kiss me. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. I love you, and I’m here for you.”

“I love you too, baby. So fucking much,” he says, pulling me in tight again.

Ethan

I dropped Olivia off at Chloe and Nick’s before coming over to my parents’ home to discuss our decision to see our daughter tomorrow. I didn’t bring Olivia with me because I refuse to subject her to any further cruelty. As I stand in their kitchen, the conversation is going about as well as I expected.

“What do you mean you’re saying goodbye privately?” my mother asks. “What about us?”

“I mean just what I said. Olivia and I are saying goodbye to our baby privately. We want to do this alone.”

“So, she asked you not to include me after she burst out of here during dinner? That was quite rude, I might add,” my mom says.

“Caroline,” my dad says with a sigh, shaking his head.

“She was rude?” I ask. “Are you kidding me, Mom? You were flat out cruel to my mate, who is your Luna, by the way. I’m still angry with you for the way you treated her.”

“Our Luna…yes, another fact that she can’t remember,” my mom says, turning away from me and crossing her arms.

I circle around so that I’m facing her again. “Mom, I love you, but you will not disrespect my mate. This stops now. It was my idea not to have you there. I won’t put Olivia in the position to be hurt by you again. I wish it didn’t have to be this way, but you leave me no choice.”

Her mouth drops open, and she huffs as she storms out of the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” I say, sitting down at their kitchen island. “I hope you understand why I need to do this. What is up with her anyway?” I ask, gesturing in the direction my mother went. “She’s not usually like this. Why is she being this way?”

“I do understand, son. You don’t have to worry about me, and I apologize on behalf of your mother. I’m not trying to make excuses for her, but sometimes there’s more to the story than you realize. Just know that she loves you very much, and keep your focus on Olivia, as it should be. How is she, by the way?” My parents are unaware of the fact that she took off and went back to Denver after dinner last night.

“She’s doing better.” I can’t help but smile as I think about our afternoon together.

“The look on your face might suggest she’s doing quite a bit better,” he says.

I nod with a smile, looking at my dad. “She told me she loves me today.”

“I knew it,” my dad says with a clap of his hands and a broad smile. “I knew the mate bond would bring you back together.”

“She still doesn’t actually remember anything, but it just came out of her so naturally. I’m convinced part of her remembers who we are together.”

“She’ll get there. Give her time,” my dad says. “This is really wonderful to hear.”

“I guess while I’m here, I should tell you that we know who was driving the car that hit Olivia.”

“Ian?” my dad asks.

“Yes.”

“Damn it,” my dad says, shaking his head.

“Lance collected surveillance video from surrounding businesses that confirmed it. I watched it happen.”

My dad frowns in question. “You watched what happen?”

“I watched the video of Olivia being hit by the car, and likely my baby dying.”

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