Page 96 of Give Me Forever Love

“I love the way you love her,” he says. “And no matter what, I know she has the best mom she could ever have.”

I smile, because that means a lot to me. I want to be the best for her. I want to show her that mamas don’t always leave, and love doesn’t have to be so damn hard.

“Lou must have come by,” I say, looking over at him.

He peeks at the fridge and laughs. “She must have. I knew I shouldn’t have given her a key.”

“This is good,” I say. “We don’t have to worry about cooking. It’s a win.” I smile and pull out a container. Popping the top off, my stomach growls when I see it’s spaghetti.

“Yum,” I say. “Grab us some plates.” I turn the oven on and twist around to gently unbuckle Rylee. She’s got on a Winnie the Pooh onesie, so I grab the fabric covering her small hands instead of her actual hands, carefully moving them so I can get the straps off.

I remove the blankets and slide my hand around the back of her neck and her bottom before lifting her. She stirs but doesn’t wake up as I carry her over to the bassinet in the living room. I lay her down and her little legs move, but she quickly falls back out.

Bryce grabs a glass and fills it with water before twisting the top off an ibuprofen bottle and popping a few.

“We’ve got to go by the pharmacy and get our meds,” he says.

“Yeah. I wonder if we can get someone to do it. I don’t feel like leaving the house.”

“I’m sure Lou will.”

“Will you call her?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says, grabbing his phone.

“I’m going to take a shower while the oven heats up. “Watch her, okay,” I say.

He nods and I head up the stairs, ready to wash the hospital off. Climbing the steps is no easy task. My whole right side of my body aches with each step. I hold on to the railing, grateful when the trip is over. I would love a bath, but I don’t have the time right now, so a shower will have to do.

Walking into our bedroom, I kick my shoes off and hiss as I bend and remove my pants. With some struggle, I wiggle out of my shirt, tossing them into the laundry basket as I head into the bathroom and turn the water on. While it warms, I look at my body in the mirror.

Good Lord.

I’m black and blue, purple in some spots and yellow in others. I look horrible. My mind replays the car wreck. I remember the lights coming at me, but after that, nothing. Until I woke up in the ambulance and asked about Bryce. They told me he’d been shot but was stable. The panic that I felt, the pure hot panic was so alive, I could almost reach out and touch it. I wanted out of that vehicle. I wanted to be with my husband, and then I felt a gush of something between my legs.

Rylee wanted out then, too.

My body was in shock and stressed to the max. I shudder as I think about that day. It all could have been much worse. My bones are tired, my mind exhausted. I leave my reflection and grab a bag from under the counter to wrap my arm in. Once I’m satisfied that it won’t get wet, I step into the warm water. I took a shower at the hospital, but nothing is like your own. I relish in the feel as the water rivers down my back, over lesions and tiny cuts from broken glass.

I bathe and wash my hair with lavender soap before getting out and drying off. The bag held up okay, only the outer part of the bandage got wet, but it’ll dry. I’ll need to rewrap it anyway when I get my meds.

I go with a robe, so I don’t have to struggle with shirts and pants. Wrapping my hair up, I head back down.

Bryce has the food in the oven and he’s sitting on the couch.

“Do you want a shower?” I ask, taking a peek at Rylee.

“In a little bit,” he replies quietly.

I move from the bassinet and take a seat beside him, trying to find a comfortable spot, but everything’s too hard against my body, so I just convince myself to get used to this ache.

“I’m hurting,” I say with an exhale.

He looks over at me, his eyes tired, his skin pale. He’s lost weight over the last few days. We’re a broken mess, but we’re here.

“Can we talk about this?” I ask. “Can you tell me what Harlow said?”

He nods. “She wanted to know if I knew what the guy looked like.”

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