Page 13 of Bossy Baby

Of course, once Hayley belonged to him, Mac had no intention of ever letting the boy out of his sight.

That was a worry for the future. They’d reached the entrance of the park and Mac had to turn his attention to wooing Hayley.

“Do you want to sit at a bench or on the grass?” Hayley asked.

Mac looked around, spotting what looked like a nice shaded spot under a tree. It was also farther away from the rest of the people. “How about there?” he suggested.

“That looks good.” Hayley released his hand, darting to the spot that Mac had pointed. As he raced away, he looked over his shoulder. “I’ll save the spot!”

“Be careful!” Mac yelled.

Too late.

Hayley turned around just as he tripped over a large rock.

It was as though what happened next did so in slow motion.

Hayley started to fall. He stretched out his arms, but Mac knew this was going to be bad.

Mac dropped the food and ran toward his boy.

“Mac!” Hayley screamed, just before he slammed into the ground.

Mac had never run so fast in his life and he’d often run for his life. He crossed the ground in long strides, but it was late.

Hayley screeched as Mac dropped down by his side.

“Hayley!”

“My arm! My arm!” Hayley cried.

Mac stared down at his boy’s bleeding arm. A piece of bone had actually pierced Hayley’s flesh. “It’s okay.”

“Hurts!” Hayley screamed.

They were gathering quite a crowd. Mac carefully lifted Hayley into his lap. No one was allowed to get close to his boy, especially when Hayley was hurt. “It’s okay, baby,” he murmured. He tugged off his long-sleeved shirt and wrapped it around his boy’s arm. Hayley screamed, but it needed to be done. Mac didn’t even notice the cold in just his white undershirt.

“I’m sorry. I know that hurts. You broke your arm. I’m going to take you to the hospital. It’s going to be okay.”

Hayley turned his head into Mac’s shirt while sobbing.

“Oh man, that looks bad.” A young guy in his twenties stepped closer. “Do you want me to call an ambulance?”

“An ambulance will take too long,” Mac said. He moved to his knees before rising, Hayley still in his arms.

“Hey, everyone,” the guy said. “Back up. Give them room.”

Mac appreciated the help. He watched the crowd, warily making sure there was no other danger to his boy. Deeming the area safe enough, Mac took off at a quick clip. His car was still parked in the grocery store lot. He needed to get there quickly. Hell, he would run all the way to the hospital if he had to, or at least jog to his vehicle.

“Hang on, baby. This is going to get bumpy.”

Hayley tried to answer, but he was sobbing too hard.

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of you,” Mac promised. He cradled Hayley to his chest and jogged. He tried to be as careful as possible. He didn’t want to injure the boy more.

He could feel the blood soaking his T-shirt.

Mac was used to blood. It didn’t bother him. The scent had comforted him in the past, as long as it wasn’t his own. This was worse, though. He couldn’t do anything for Hayley but get him safely to the hospital as soon as possible.

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