Page 74 of Sawyer
Moving to her other side, he brushed back her thick curls. “You are so brave, Half-Pint. You’re the scrappiest fighter I know. You’ve got to fight this. You’ve got to fight to stay with me.” A tear dripped from his chin and landed on her chest. It lay there glistening against her skin. “Look what you’ve done to Daddy. I think you might have fixed him.”
When she didn’t start breathing, he yelled. “You listen to me, Leyla Catalina Cortez. If you don’t start breathing right this second, I’m going to spank your ass so damn hard you won’t sit down in this life or the next.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest, tears dripping onto her shoulder. That’s when he heard it. The most beautiful sound he’d ever heard. A beautiful raspy breath, no louder than a whisper, that came from his Little girl. His girl was breathing.
“Do not ever do that to me again,” he said into her ear. “I am wrapping you in bubble wrap when I get you home, and you will never take it off again. Do you understand me? Not ever.”
Okay, so he’d lost it. But she had scared the shit out of him. He was allowed, damn it. He pulled away and looked down to see her eyes flickering open. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world, and we are getting married tomorrow.
She looked up at him sleepily. In a breathy whisper, she answered, “I knew you’d come, Daddy. I always knew.” She closedher eyes and took another long breath, then opened them again. “Daddy?”
“Yes, baby, I’m right here.”
“I want to go home.”
Sawyer smiled and wiped some strands of hair away from her eyes.
“We’ll go home soon, Babygirl. Just try to take it easy.”
Her eyes drifted closed, but then she forced them back open. “Oh, and Daddy?”
“Yes, Half-Pint?”
“My stepbrother is a dick.”
Her eyes closed again.
“Bones, you sure she’s okay?”
Bones held her wrist, monitoring her pulse. With he was done, he smiled, “I think we got here in time, Sawyer. You’ve got yourself a very lucky Little there.”
“She’s not the only lucky one here.”
To reassure himself, he turned his head, lowering his cheek to hover over her lips. Her breathing was steady. Then he placed his ear over her heart, and it was steady, too. He kept his head resting against her chest, being sure not to put his weight on her, and listened to the beautiful heartbeats of his Little girl until the ambulance came.
When they got to the hospital, they wanted to keep her a few days for observation. Over their objections, but not hers, he lay on the bed with her. Every time she dozed off to sleep, he pressed his ear over her chest again.
He could listen to her heart for eternity. Lucky for him, that’s exactly what they had.
CHAPTER 29
Afew days later, Lele sat on the couch in her game room with all her friends gathered around her. She was an official Musketiara with her own crown and everything.
She loved her new home. Mostly, she loved living with her new Daddy. Life had become everything she could have imagined and more.
“Does anyone need anything?” Sawyer called from the door. “This is last call for today, girls. Your Daddies are all coming to get you in about an hour, so Lele can take a nap.”
Ugh! “Daddy! I don’t want to take a nap. Dr. Bones said I was fine.”
“I believe he said all your tests were normal, but you needed to take it easy for a week or two until we’re sure there aren’t any long-term symptoms. Part of taking it easy is having a nap every afternoon.”
“I think you just like being a Daddy hen.”
He barked out a laugh. “Maybe so, but we have a very special evening planned, remember?”
Like she could forget. That was one of the reasons she didn’t want to take a nap. She had a lot to do before tonight.
“I’m so excited!” Georgia said. “I’ve never been to a disco inferno wedding before. I already bought my outfit. I have a sparkly silver mini-dress and white go-go boots.”
