Page 90 of Teasing

“She just dozed off,” Em whispers as I pull my girls as close as I can, giving them all the strength I have. What good is any of it if it can’t protect the people you love? “She was asking for you.”

I nod, incapable of words for a long time, and I hold them silently until I can speak.

“Thank you,” I whisper and press my lips to Em’s forehead. “For saving her life.”

She looks down at Rosie, no doubt seeing what I do and hurting because of it. “Your dad was the real hero. The medics couldn’t get the breathing tube in, and he did it. He saved her life, Mav.”

“He always said he wanted to save lives. I bet he never thought one of them would be his granddaughter’s.” I’ll never bitch at him again for wanting to go to church.

“Daddy...?” Rosie’s scratchy voice asks. “Is the game over?”

I sit on the bed next to her and Emmie and hold her as close as I can. “Not yet, baby girl. I left as soon as they told me what happened to you. How are you feeling?”

Her lip wobbles, and any sense of control I had snaps. I move to the other side of the bed, lift her up, and lay her between Emmie and me. I need to hold her. I need to feel her breathe. “It’s okay to cry, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she cries, and my heart shatters. “They said there was no peanuts. Emmie even asked the waiter.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Rosie.” I look over her head at Emmie. “Neither of you did.” I want to make sure she hears me because I wouldn’t put it past Em to try to take this on herself. “My brave girls.”

Ryker, Jamie, and Camden are all waiting for us when we get home later that night, but Rosie’s asleep on my chest when we walk in the house. I brush my lips against Emmie’s temple. “I’m going to put her to bed. I’ll be down in a little bit. Will you stay?”

“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away, Cujo.”

I stare into her gorgeous green eyes, completely in awe of this woman.

Completely in love with her too.

“Are you okay, Maverick?” She cups my cheek in her palm. “I’m worried about you.”

I turn and kiss her palm. “I’m fine. I’ll be down after I get her down.”

Emmie nods and steps back, then gently rubs a hand down Rosie’s back. “Sleep tight, little rose.”

Emmie

Maverick never came back downstairs.

I didn’t think he would.

I fill the guys in on what’s now tied for the worst day of my life and make my way upstairs to check on him and Rosie, only to find them both asleep in her bed. Mav tucked into a full-sized bed, and Rosie’s butterfly comforter caught between them. His big arms are wrapped around his daughter, shirtless, and his football pants... it’s definitely a site to be seen.

I stand there, looking at them for a long minute and wonder when they became my world.

My strength.

My reason.

Because somewhere along the way . . . they did.

Rosie rolls away from her daddy, attempting to starfish out across the bed the way she likes to do, and I decide to risk his wrath and wake him up. My lips skim his ear. “Maverick.”

He hears me enough to wrap an arm around my waist and tug me toward him but not enough to open his eyes.

“Mav... you need to shower and change. You can sleep in here after.”

Heavy eyes, the color of a midnight storm, open, and exhaustion clings to every line of his face, but he carefully pullshimself away from Rosie and puts his hand in mine, letting me lead him through his room and into the bathroom.

I turn all five of the knobs in the shower to hot and leave my hand under the two shower heads and three body sprays, waiting for them to warm up before turning to Maverick.

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