Page 72 of Game Changer

She hasn’t let go of me since our eyes met when I crested the hill. Truth be told, I haven’t even tried to get her to loosen up. I think I’d prefer her like this all the time.

She cried when I asked her if she would get in her seat and said, “It stuck me so I couldn’t save you. I never, ever, ever gonna ride in it again—never.”

We’ll have to work on that, but not right now. Not as we follow two ambulances to the hospital, one with Beau and the other with Derek.

Mom and Tessa are both with Beau, who was freaking shot … And my ex, we know damn well he had something to do with Lindsey’s accident.

Beau’s a good man, and all his recent troubles have been brought on by me. Lindsey is in a coma because of Beau’s connection to me. Beau got shot because of me.

“My Syd, does you hair hurt?”

Confused as to why she’d think that, I ask, “Nope. Why?”

“’Cause the mean police pulled it like Grandmother does to me when I bad, but you’re not bad, Syd.”

There’s no way I am hearing her right. “I’m sorry— what?”

“You don’t gots to be sorry. You done nothin’ bad. Like me and Mommy, we didn’t do bad stuff. Mean people just pull hair. Sometimes they spank you on a mouth, and sometimes on a butt.”

“Lily, did your grandma hit you?”

“No Grandma’s nice. Grandmother’s mean. She pulls hair and spanks. She doesn’t spank Mommy on the butt, just me. But they send Mommy to the hospital when Mommy say she not sick. I said no, no, no, Mommy is not sick.”

Grandmother is clearly what she calls Lindsey’s mother, and I would guess Beau’s mother is Grandma.

“Did she spank your butt then?”

“My face, and it taste like yuck in my mouth ’cause I bleeded.”

Anger courses through me on a level that is unimaginable, but I manage to keep it together.

“Lily, no one should have ever done that to you. No one should ever put their hands on you like that—ever.”

“I had a stupid mouth and needed a learn a lesson.” Her voice cracks. “Just like my mommy. She called her bad names, Syd, really bad ones.”

Me eyes meet Dad’s, and I hug her tight. “Your daddy and me, and all the people who love you here, are gonna make sure we do everything to make sure you never have to be with her again without one of us.”

She holds out her pinky. “Promise?”

I hook mine around hers. “Promise.”

“Love you, my Syd.”

“I love you, too, my Lily.”

“I love you both,” Dad adds, voice thick with emotion.

Lily smiles as a single tear falls, and I wipe it away with a kiss to her sweet little cheek.

By the time Beau is cleaned and sewn up, and they allow us into the back, Lily is passed out in my arms and doesn’t wake up when we head in.

“Anyone check the future Mrs. Boone out?” Beau asks the roomful of nurses.

“I’m fine.” I scowl.

“There was blood in the snow when we tracked you; I want to know that you’re okay. Any injuries, even the smallest, need to be documented for court because that motherfucker is going to rot.”

I brush my lips across the top of Lily’s head. “When she wakes up.”

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