Page 161 of Please Save Me

“You…” I struggled to find my voice as my attention shifted to Mason.

She told me she loved me, and that I loved her like they did in the books she read, but this was the second massive secret she kept from me. Did I not love her enough? What was so wrong with me that she never bothered to tell me she was married.

“You never told me,” I breathed, taking more to her than anyone else.

Lucian’s lips parted, and I’m sure he wanted to yell more, but Rosemary beat him to it.

Her tiny wail pierced through the air like a knife, drawing all of our attention. Cameron reacted quickly, scooping her up and rocking her softly.

Something in the sound seemed to snap Lucian out of whatever was going on in his head, because instead of laying into me, he pushed past us and out of the room.

His heavy steps echoed through the hall, growing fainter and fainter until disappearing all together.

“Shhh. Shhh, you’re alright. Papa is here,” Cameron murmured, and I stopped paying any attention to them.

Instead, I wheeled myself over to Mason.

My heart broke all over again as I took in the sight of her pale face, and I reached for a cool hand before bringing it to my lips.

I had a million questions for her and even more things I wished I could say. But none of them seemed to matter, not anymore.

I leaned in, gently kissing her cheek before resting my head on her hand.

“I’m so sorry.” Tears burned my eyes, quickly saturating her sheet.

The weight of the situation pressed down on me, making it impossible to breathe. I replayed our entire relationship in my mind, searching for possibilities that would have prevented this very moment. But, none of that mattered now.

All I could do was hope that Mason would wake up, and wake upsoon. Because, as it stood, both her absence and the cloying knowledge were both becoming the final nails in my coffin.

Chapter 49

Cameron

Three weeks later…

Insurmountable joy and just as powerful grief were never feelings meant to be mixed. Something between that combination and the lack of sleep little Miss Rosie-Posie forced on me made time completely incomprehensible.

Doctor’s appointments, physical therapy for Seb, and check-ups for baby girl were the only things that helped me keep my days straight. For the first week, it felt like Sophia, Lucian, and I were drowning, and I’m pretty sure Sophia vented to her moms because, on the eighth day, Heather and Victoria appeared. They said it was only until Mason woke up… but I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if she never did.

It felt like I’d just drifted to sleep when a tiny cry greeted me from the bassinet I’d put beside my bed.

My eyes begrudgingly cracked open, and I looked over to see Rosie’s little fists flailing and her face red as she wailed like someone pinched her. Slowly, I sat up, my body protesting every motion as I crossed my legs and reached into the bassinet.

“Shhh. Papa’s gotcha.” I yawned, patting her butt as I supported her neck and brought her close to my face.

Her beady eyes squinted as we stared at each other. Lucian said it was normal for preemies to cry more and that the twins did it, too, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Rosie was grieving, processing an emotion far too big for her to feel.

“You miss your mama too, don’t you?”

Rosie grunted in response before tipping forward and latching onto the tip of my nose.

Despite my exhaustion, I smiled.

“All you do is eat,” I teased as I pulled her away from my face. “No wonder your mama was always hungry.”

Just the mention of Mason made me want to bawl like a baby, but I didn’t think Rosie should see that, so I had my anguish with a chuckle and offered her the tip of my finger. That way, she’d have something to suck on until I made her a bottle.

Just as I stood, the door creaked open, and Sophia popped her head in.

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