Page 69 of Texas Splendor
“I’m certain she’s just fine,” Dr. Freeman said.
The stymied late August air hung outside the open window, doing little to cool Austin’s sweating body. The moon spilled into the bedroom, waltzing with the darkness.
He saw the shadow of his violin as it rested on the top of his bureau. Once he’d been able to hear the music long before he ever touched the strings.
Once, he had dreamed of a special violin—created with his own hands—that made the sweetest music ever heard.
Now, he would be content to play his mother’s scarred and scratched violin—if only he once again had the ability to bring the music to life within his heart.
“Austin, what are you doing?” Loree whispered sleepily.
He walked to the bed, stretched out beside her, and spread his fingers over her stomach. “Just couldn’t sleep.”
“Does your head hurt?”
“Nah, it’s fine.”
“The man you went to prison for killing—”
“Was a sorry son of a bitch not worth worrying over.”
“He must have meant something to someone for a man to attack you. I heard him say you should have hanged.”
He cradled her cheek. “I’ll tell you how worthless he was. One night behind the hotel, he shoved some wooden crates over on top of Dee and lit out without a backward glance. Dee lost the baby she was carrying and dang near lost her life. Then he paid Rawley’s father to kill Dallas. I don’t regret his dying. I only regret that I went to prison because of it.” Tenderly, he brushed his lips over hers. “I’m gonna be the one waking up with nightmares if we keep following this trail. Let’s talk about something else. Tell me again what it felt like when the baby moved inside you.”
“It scared me at first because I thought something was wrong. My ma never told me things about having a baby. I didn’t know I’d feel her roll over … or that it would feel so wonderful.” She turned to her side, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder. “I’m glad we’re gonna have her. I was embarrassed at first … even ashamed—”
He tilted her face back. He couldn’t see the gold in her eyes, but it didn’t stop him from searching for it. “Loree, the shame is mine, not yours, never yours.”
“Austin, I wanted you close to me that night. I’d never felt so alone in my whole life.”
He reached through the darkness, found her hand, and brought it to his lips. “In prison …”
“What?”
He swallowed hard. If only removing the shackles had removed the memories. “There was this box. The inside was black as tar. If the guard had a toothache or was in the mood to be mean, he’d shove someone into that box.” He felt the sweat break out on his skin and he shivered, even though the night was warm. Her fingers tightened around his. “I couldn’t breathe in that box. I thought I’d go crazy. The night I got home and Dallas told me Becky had gotten married, I felt like he’d shoved me inside that box.”
She pressed a kiss against his chest. “I’m sorry.”
“That first night I held you, I felt a flicker of hope that I might be able to escape.”
He felt her warm tears slide down his chest. “One of these nights, Loree, I’m gonna leave every memory I have outside that door. When that happens I’m gonna make love to you until dawn.” Her arms slid around him and she scooted her body close enough to his that he felt every curve. “Lord, I love it when you do that,” he whispered, drawing her closer.
“They’re nice people, aren’t they?”
His chest muffled her words, but he knew without asking to whom she referred. Becky and Cameron. “Yeah, they are. That’s what makes this so much harder. I can’t find it in me to hate them.”
Her hold on him tightened, and he felt slight tremors racing through her. “I’m glad,” she whispered hoarsely. “Hate can eat at you … make you do things …”
He pressed a kiss to her temple and tasted the salt of a tear. “What do you know of hate, Loree?”
“The man who murdered my family. I wanted him dead. I wanted him dead so bad that it was like he’d crawled inside me.”
She started gasping for breath, and he heard a broken sob escape. “Shh. Shh. Loree, don’t upset yourself. It’s been a bad night. Don’t think about the past. Think about the future.” He continued to coo to her, feeling her body relaxing within his arms. Her gasping gave way to slow even breathing. “That’s it, Sugar. Think about that little girl—”
She sniffed. “Boy.”
He chuckled low. “Oh, it’s a boy now, is it?”
