Page 166 of Beautiful Storm

“I do,” I say quickly, desperate for more time with her. I’ve already missed out.

“Thought you might.” His lips pull into a smile before he gently places her in my arms. “I won’t be long, but if you need something please buzz the nurses.”

“I will.” He gives me a pointed look and I add, “I promise.”

“Good. Oh, and while you were asleep, Lainey brought in some of your things. They’re in that bag over there. And…Dammit. Speaking of visitors. I completely forgot that your mom was here. Lainey filled her in on what was going on earlier, but you should call her. Or I could talk to her if she’s still there. Either way, she needs to know you’re okay.”

Guilt eats away at me again. “You’re right. I’ll call her. They said my stuff was in that top drawer. Can you check for me?”

Luke opens the drawer and pulls out my phone before handing it over, but when I try to bring it to life, it’s dead. “Dammit.”

“Want to use mine?”

“I don’t know her number.” I wince.Why would I? It was always on my phone.

“How about I check if she’s still in the waiting room. In the meantime, I’ll ask if any of the nurses have a charger. Do you need anything else before I go? Anything from your bag?”

I glance down at my hospital gown and laugh. “No, thanks. I can‘t use any of it. I’m stuck in this gown until I can walk. But thank you. I’ll be fine until you get back.”

“Okay. I love you both.” He presses a kiss to my head before ever so softly kissing Juliet’s cheek and then he’s gone, leaving me alone with her for the first time.

And I don’t panic like I thought I would. In fact, it’s the opposite. A new confidence takes over me as my heart grows beyond belief, my gaze roaming over her tiny body, still shocked that she’s lying in my arms.

I have a daughter. No, I don’t just have a daughter, I have a family. And while I’d never want to lessen what Preston and I once had, this is more real than anything I’ve ever felt. Like everything I’ve done in my life has led me to this moment. To Luke and Juliet.

To think, I almost pushed him away. Hell, I did push him away. But thankfully, Luke being Luke, he wouldn’t let me. Hewas always around, showing me that despite our pasts, he was going to be there for me and Juliet, that he was willing to do whatever it takes.

And he was.

He left his team for me. He was prepared to fight Jake. He’s here when he should be playing in his final game before the playoffs. I never asked for any of that. But he did it because he cares.

Guilt swirls through my middle but I try to ignore it. He knows the consequences of missing a game and doesn’t regret it, so neither should I. Plus, I get it. It may have taken me a lot longer than it did for him, but this is it. Luke is my person. And I’d do whatever it takes to protect him too.

A nurse comes in with a phone charger, and my mind drifts back to my mom. Luke’s right, I need to call her. We need to work out how to make our relationship better because I couldn’t imagine not talking to Juliet one day, and while she’s not making it easy by continuously going against what I’ve asked, I could cut her some slack. A little anyway. A tiny bit. I can throw her a bone. If she takes it, great, but if she doesn’t, I tried.

Juliet startles in her sleep and her little hand pulls at a knot in my hair, making me groan as my eyes flash to the bag Lainey packed for me. Maybe I should have asked for a brush. Knowing Luke, he was probably hinting at that. I can’t imagine what I look like right now.

I laugh to myself just as I spot my journal hanging out of the end pocket and I smile. That man knows me better than I know myself. It’s not often I miss a day of writing. If only there was someone to get it for me.

As if I conjured her to appear, a different nurse comes in to check on us, and I ask her to pass me the journal before she leaves.

With Juliet in my left arm, I manage to angle the journal just enough to open it to my last entry, frowning when I find the wrong handwriting. At first I panic, automatically thinking I have an issue with my memory until my gaze locks on the details at the top and bottom of the page.Dear AmeliaandLove,Luke.

My heart flutters with a mix of nervousness and giddiness. These journals contain my deepest thoughts and feelings, and while I don’t plan on keeping things from Luke moving forward, I’m not sure I’m ready for him to read all the raw details of the past.

On the flip side, I need to know what he wrote. Even if he read every page, or skim read to the good bits and this is his response, I need to know.

So with my heart lodged in my throat, I read it.

Dear Amelia,

I opened your journal with the grand plan of pouring my heart out onto the page but now that I’m staring down the barrel of the pen, it’s incredibly nerve-racking. And you do this everyday. I guess that highlights your superiority over me, and… WOW!Jesus. These things are like magic. They make you say stuff you’d never admit to out loud.

Please pretend you never read that.

And now to the serious stuff. Here goes.

I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing. I don’t know the first or last thing about being in a relationship, and I’m finally going to admit that I’m scared. This isn’t something I ever wanted for myself and it’s definitely not something I planned for.

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