Page 103 of Time to Bounce

“He’s going back to his girl,” Garrett disagreed. “Go.”

I went, but only after I made eye contact with Tyrone to watch out for my brother.

He gave me a nod of understanding, and I headed back into the hospital just as a black sedan pulled in that said ‘Uber’ on it.

I skirted myself around it and headed toward the employee entrance, using my code to get in the door and head up to the maternity ward.

I’d been there a lot thanks to all my siblings giving me niblings—nieces and nephews—so it didn’t take me long.

I was surprised to find the entire room, and hallway, overfilled with people.

I shouldered my way past everyone and took a look around the room for Athena but spotted her nowhere.

I moved toward Maven and Auden. Maven was glaring.

And, surprisingly, so was Auden.

My stomach dropped. “Where is she?”

“She’s not here, Gable.” Maven crossed her arms over her chest. “She left when you made it clear you didn’t want her here.”

I was already shaking my head. “That’s most certainly not what I meant. I wanted to talk to Callena.”

“Meanwhile,” Maven rolled her eyes, “Athena has been here for four hours worried sick about you. And you couldn’t make a stop up here and alleviate her worries before you took off?”

I was already shaking my head. “I never made it out of the parking lot.”

“Well, when Athena didn’t find you here, she decided to go home,” she snapped.

I sighed.

“I’m sorry. But Garrett…” I couldn’t stop the fear leeching into my voice. “I can’t lose him again.”

Maven’s shoulders softened. “What did I tell you about putting Athena first?”

That no one had ever done it before.

Fuck.

“I’ll go find her,” I promised.

Except it proved harder than it looked.

I went to her house first.

Then her brother’s, which was still covered in crime scene tape.

I then went to mine, hoping beyond hope that she would be there, but didn’t find her there, either.

So I turned back around and headed back to her place.

All the while I kept hitting redial on my phone, only for her not to pick up.

After still not finding her at her place, I decided to park my ass in her driveway and wait.

She showed up twenty minutes later in an Uber.

She leaned forward as she got out and reached for some paperwork, and it was then I saw the cast on her arm.

---