Page 144 of Broken Strings

My boy looks up from his phone, glancing at Summer before turning conflicted eyes to me.

“I’ll call you the minute she wakes, kid. Go on.” I smile genuinely. “Get some air. You look like crap.”

His lip twitches as he pulls himself out of the chair beside his sleeping sister. “Maybe you should take a look in the mirror if you want to see what crap really looks like.”

A chuckle rumbles in my chest, though I’m too drained to do much more than smirk as Jesse follows Ford from the room.

My eyes drift across Bella’s sleeping form, marvelling at her ability to pass out anywhere and at any given moment. She smiles in her sleep before a soft laugh tumbles from her lips, breaking the silence.

“Cade?”

I freeze for an instant before jumping to life at the sound of Summer’s raspy voice. Rising from my chair at the foot of the bed, I round the side to find her big doe eyes wide open and full of questions.

Grabbing her water glass, I help her sit forward, careful not to touch her bandaged bicep as I place the straw on her bottom lip. She takes a small sip while I prop her pillows higher, settling her back against their softness as lightly as I can.

Gently sliding onto the edge of her bed, I take one of her hands in mine, unable to keep a broad smile from my face.

It’s not until she reaches up with her free hand to brush her thumb across my cheekbone that I realise I’m crying. Matching tears fill her own eyes when I bring her hand to my lips, peppering kisses across her knuckles.

“Oh, Bambi.” I close my eyes and take a steadying breath.

Summer tugs her hand from my grasp as I open my eyes, placing her palms on either side of my face. Her chocolaty eyes hold me in their thrall as her brows draw closer together, deepening her intent.

“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Ipromise.”

I lean closer to press a tender kiss to her soft lips. Then, resting my forehead against hers, I choke out the words that have haunted me.

“I thought I’d lost you. I—” My voice breaks, and I swallow roughly as my emotions threaten to overcome me. “I can’t lose you again, Summer. I won’t.”

Tears crest her bottom lashes, spilling down her pale cheeks while her bottom lip trembles under the force of her emotions.

“You won’t lose me, Cade. You never did.” Her voice drops to a whisper. “I’ve always been yours. And I always will be.”

The tension that has flowed through my entire body for the last twenty-four hours—or perhaps it has been there for the last fifteen years—slowly ebbs away, leaving nothing but hope and possibility in its wake.

I stare into those big brown eyes that own my soul. Eyes filled with the promise of dreams coming to life, and I smile, giving her my whole heart just as I did all those years ago.

“I think it’s long past time we make that life together, Bam.”

* * *

SUMMER

Having been kept under observation for the following five days and nights, I’d been beyond grateful to be discharged from Hemmingway Memorial with instructions to continue to rest before I could slowly resume my normal activities.

As gunshot wounds go, I’d been exceptionally lucky. The bullet had been a through and through, having missed all nerves and muscles in my left bicep.

It had hurt like a motherfucker, but considering the alternative, I wouldn’t be complaining any time soon. And the pain was lessening by the day as I regained movement relatively quickly.

Following the unwelcome revelations about HSD, Ford was not in a good place and, having spoken to Cade outside my room door, had decided he needed time away to clear his head.

Bella had been so upset to see him leave, but he’d assured her that he would check in all the time. Even going so far as to leave her a small bracelet with her name on it, which seemed to pacify her somewhat.

Our foursome returned to North Star, courtesy of a car sent by Sutton, to find a flurry of people swooping in and out of the sprawling ranch.

Authorities of all kinds had been called in, and a complete overhaul of HSD was ongoing, much to Jasper Holloway’s sheer displeasure. He was utterly adamant that he’d not known what Noah was using his company for—claiming that Noah had only been the money in the operation, despite evidence to the contrary.

Vaughn had—crazily, in my opinion—chartered a private plane to Austin. He had rocked up on the North Star property the day after the shooting while we’d been in Hemmingway Memorial with an onslaught of his tech-savvy people.

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