Page 45 of Bound by Destiny
She pulls me in, tightly hugging me. Damn it feels good to be Emery’s rock. The one she lays her shit on and confides in. Best fucking gift I’ve ever gotten. Her stomach rumbles.
“Let’s feed you and see where everyone is. Then get you back up to the hospital if that’s where you want to go.”
“Yeah. I do.”
On a kiss, we set off to see what this day will hold for us. Hope to Christ it’s no more bad news.
19
Emery
The smellof the waiting room is becoming the worst smell ever. It’s a mix between cleaner, puke, and shit. Add in a splash of hopelessness and you have a concoction I never want to have a part in again.
My mom sits next to Princess and my dad on the other side of her. His hand rakes through his hair. When he sees us and his eyes dip lower to see our intertwined hands, something flashes over his face. I can’t decide if it’s happiness or anger. Lord knows if it’s anger we’ll hear it soon enough. Cruz sits on the opposite side of Princess.
My dad rises from his seat and comes up to me, wrapping his strong arms around my body, ultimately pulling me away from Jacks. When he pulls away, he’s looking at Jacks and says, “Hurt her and I’ll string you up by your fuckin’ balls and use you as a piñata.”
Jacks chuckles as I step back from my father and into Jacks’ waiting arms, who then kisses the top of my head. “Wouldn’t expect anything less.” My body relaxes into his, letting whatever tension was there leak out.
My father lifts his chin.
“How is he?” I ask as we move over to where my mom and Princess are sitting. Noises come from behind us and Austyn, Ryker, Nox, Cooper, Bristyl, Deke and Rylie appear. We dish out hugs and hellos to each other.
“Good, then I only have to say it once,” Princess says, rising from her chair and putting her hands in her back pockets. I can’t get a read on her, but that’s nothing unusual at this point. That’s why when she showed so much emotion during this ordeal, it was surprising because she doesn’t let that side of herself show very often.
We crowd around her. “His numbers are good according to the doctor. He doesn’t have any infections, and they were worried about that with the open wounds. He’s breathing on his own, and Ma says that his hand twitches every so often letting her know he’s still here. Doctors say he could wake up at any time, or it could take a while.”
“So he’s going to be okay?” Austyn asks, interrupting.
Princess smiles brightly. “Yeah, they think he will. We just need him to wake up.”
I sag into Jacks, letting him practically hold me up. He’s going to be okay. Thank you, God, he’s going to be okay.
“That means everyone take a seat, get comfortable, and we ride this out,” Cruz says from his chair. After taking our seats, the tension in the room begins to dissipate slightly, and I feel like I can breathe for the first time since it happened.
“You’re touching my sister,” my brother, Deke, says, glaring at Jacks, and a chuckle escapes me.
Jacks, cool as can be, replies, “Yep, should’ve seen us this mornin’. I touched every fuckin’ inch of her.”
I elbow Jacks, who smiles and shrugs. “You do realize he beats people up, right?”
Deke’s nostrils flare, but it’s Jacks who responds. “I’m always down for a fight.”
“Jacks, no!” I cry out, picturing in my head Deke smashing his face in, then vice versa. Two men that I care deeply for ripping each other apart because of me. No, I don’t like that one damn bit.
“Relax,” Jacks says, squeezing my hand then turning his focus on Deke. “Respect that you love your sister, but she’s mine and not you or anyone else is going to take her away from me.” I see him glance at my father then turn back to my brother. “You wanna fight, bring it. You wanna make digs at me, be prepared to shovel shit. You wanna be a dick and hurt your sister, that shit’s on you. You wanna push her away, again on you. Accept it or don’t, I don’t fuckin’ care. But I will be at her side.”
Tears spring to my eyes. We haven’t fully talked about our relationship from this point on, but his declarations of me being his in private and public have pretty much sealed the deal. And I haven’t been happier about anything in my life. Lifting his hand, I place a kiss on the top of it and earn a sexy wink from him.
Deke gets up, and instantly I’m on alert. We may be in a damn hospital, but I don’t want to be visiting my boyfriend in it too. Instead of swinging, Deke holds out his hand to Jacks, who rises to meet him and grasps his hand.
A wide smile comes across Deke’s face. “Welcome to the family.” He pulls Jacks into that one-armed man hug thing as he pats him on the back. “Hurt her and I’ll destroy you.”
“Awe. You say the sweetest things.” Jacks pulls away. “Remember, Prospect—I’m already in the family.”
My gut falls to the ground as all the possibilities of how Deke will handle this float through my head. Deke is prospecting for the club now that he’s back in town for good. He has yet to get the cut that all the men around me wear. I know from talking to him that he wants it bad.
I hold my breath, waiting for what comes next and dreading it at the same time.
