Page 69 of Hook Up

“I did. They’re hopeful—”

“Are you going to leave now?” Ryder cuts me off with a grimace.

One look at his face and I know to what he’s referring. “Of course not.”

“Right,” he mutters, his sightless eyes peering at the ceiling. “Because being stuck with a blind man is what you always wanted, right Gigi?”

I slide my hands along his jaw. I know he can’t see me, but he needs to feel the determination in my touch. The reassurance that I’m not going anywhere. “Hey, you’re going to get better. I’m here to ensure that happens.”

“What if I don’t?”

“Then we’ll figure it out together. You’re not getting rid of me, Ryder Gray. Nice try, but it’s not happening.”

Finally, the hardened mask slides from his features as he cracks a smile. “You were always stubborn.”

“You don’t know the half of it.” Am I terrified? Absolutely, but he will never see that side of me. The logistics, the brutal truth of his injury—that he will probably only regain partial vision, if he’s lucky—is not a story I’m allowing anywhere near Ryder. Hope is the most powerful drug in the world, and he needs a plethora of it right now.

Besides, if there’s anyone on the planet who can overcome this obstacle, it’s my husband.

My husband. A pang of sadness overtakes me when that thought enters my head, but I push it away. Now is not the time forthatdiscussion, either.

Ryder huffs out a breath, shaking his head. “I was winning. Everything was going so smoothly… until it wasn’t. I don’t know what happened.”

He’s not the only one who wants to know what occurred in those fateful moments. A talk with my brother is imminent. He’ll know the specifics of the accident, be able to shed some light on the subject. “Colton has an investigative team looking into everything.”

“I can’t be done. Not like this. Not like this.” Ryder’s voice cracks, his hand trembling in mine.

How do you reassure someone their life is going to continue, despite such a debilitating injury? How do you convince them that despite limitations, they will laugh again? Find joy in their days? Have a reason to live when the only reason they had has been stripped from them?

I wish I knew the answer to any of those questions.

Instead, I dig deep, letting my sarcastic sense of humor bubble to the surface. “You be quiet. You’re not done. You are many things, Ryder Gray—arrogant and overly confident among them—but you are no quitter. I sure as hell won’t let you quit now.”

That does it. A chuckle slips past his full lips. “You had to list all my strengths, didn’t you, Gigi?”

“Hey, I knew you when. Don’t forget that.” I lean over him, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Get some sleep. Your body needs the rest. I’ll be in the waiting room if you need me.”

His hand darts out, catching at my forearm. “I always need you. Don’t forget that.”

With a final kiss on his cheek, I return to the waiting room. Colton has left, no doubt, to get a jumpstart on the investigation and bring another driver up to speed. He loves Ryder, but this is a business and the show must go on.

Mandi, too, is nowhere to be found. I find it odd that Ryder never asked for her, even to question if she was at the hospital. But I’m no masochist. Until he brings her up, I’m sure as hell not mentioning her name.

Greg, however, hasn’t moved from his chair, his head still buried in his hands as the guilt wafts off him. Time to find out what really happened.

“Greggo, let’s get some coffee.”

Without a word, he falls into step behind me, trailing me to the hospital cafeteria.

After directing him to a table, I order us some food. I’m no fool. We need to keep our wits and strength about us, or we’ll wind up in a hospital bed, too. That’s the last thing Ryder needs.

“Here. Black and thick as mud. Just the way you like it.”

He accepts the drink, his hands gripping the mug as he stares into the dank liquid.

“I doubt the answers are at the bottom of that cup.”

“I let him down, Gigi.”

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