Locke

“Well, hell yeah, chick!” Dee yells, earning her a stern look from Beck.  “What?  You all should know better than to think that our little Emmy wouldn’t bounce back.”

“There’s bouncing back and there is denial,” Melissa says sharply from the door.

I can see Greg standing right behind her, his eyes scanning my body from head to toe—his frown matching the ones the others are wearing.

“Would you guys stop?  I made a promise to myself a while ago that I wouldn’t live in the past.  The past I can’t control, but the future is all mine.  I’m choosing to let this make me a stronger person—to not let it win in any way.  One step forward, right, Axel?”

The meaning of my words sinks in and his handsome face breaks out in a huge grin.  “Yeah, Em… One step forward and never back.  I get you.”

“Well I don’t get her.  What the hell are you two talking about?” Dee snaps.

“Clearly someone didn’t get their coffee this morning,” Izzy mutters under her breath.

“Or maybe someone is hormonal and doesn’t understand when her friends speak in some code!”  Her eyes go wide and she slaps her hand over her mouth.

All of our eyes go from her to Beck, who is just standing there with one proud-ass grin on his face.

“Well…okay then,” Izzy says, hiding her shock.  “When did you find out?”

“A few weeks ago.  We just haven’t had a chance to say anything.  Clearly my big mouth doesn’t understand that this isn’t a good time.”

“Oh shut up.   This is a great time.”  Did I really just say that?

“Really?  You laid up in the hospital is a great time?” she snaps, folding her arms over her chest.

“You want to pick a fight with me over this?  I’m the one in the bed, which means everything I say goes.”

“That makes no sense, Em.  How much of those drugs do they have you on?”  She moves forward and pokes my IV bag.

“That’s not the pain meds, you window licker,” Melissa huffs.  She walks farther into the room and moves to my right side.  The side that Maddox hasn’t left since last night.  Then she stands next to him and waits.  When it becomes clear that he isn’t moving, she actually shoos him.  Reaches her hand up and waves him off.  “Seriously, you overgrown ape.  Move so I can see to my girl.”

“Not your girl, Melissa.   Remember that.  I’ll give you a second with my girl, but only a second.”  He backs up slightly, giving her just enough room to move in and give me a hug.  Well, kind of a hug.  More like a pat on my shoulder and a pressing of her cheek against mine.

“You really want to go home with that caveman?” she asks with a huge smile on her stunning face.

“Ah, he’s nothing but a big teddy bear,” I joke.

“Sass, Emersyn,” he scolds.

“Over the top, Maddox,” I counter.

He grumbles under his breath but steps back and allows the girls to move closer.  As he steps in the corner, the guys walk over to speak with him.  I remind myself later to ask him what they’re talking about.

The conversation flows around the room.  My girls—my family—sitting around me on the sides of the bed.  All except for Izzy—a very pregnant Izzy—who is sitting in the chair next to us.

They leave an hour later.  Exhausted from all the activity plus having my last dose of pain medication before they release me, I crash hard.  I get a good nap in before Maddox wakes me up asking if I’m ready to get out of here.

When we finally make it down to the front of the hospital, where Maddox’s black Charger is waiting for us, my eyes widen when I see the crunched-up front end.  Noticing the question before it’s even out, he snaps, “Don’t ask,” before lifting me out of the wheelchair and carefully placing me in the passenger’s seat.

“You ready to go home?” he asks after starting the car.

“I am home,” I reply with a smile, and then I lay my head back and close my eyes with a smile on my face.

Chapter 25—Maddox

“I’m going to take a shower.  You good?”

Emmy looks up at me from where she’s resting in the middle of my bed.  The bed I carried her to after I refused to bring her to the guest room when she pitched a mammoth fit.  Her argument is that we shouldn’t rush things.  Mine is that we’ve wasted enough time.

She’s also lost her fucking mind if she thinks I’m letting her out of my sight for a good, long while.

“I’m freaking fine,” she huffs.

My lips twitch when she tries to throw her attitude around by crossing her chest with her good arm. “It loses a little of its intimidation factor that way.”

Her jaw drops and she throws her book at me.  I watch it sail across the room and slap me in the chest before tumbling carelessly to the ground.

I keep my feet planted and let my arms hang relaxed at my sides, but there is no mistaking that she sees my impatience written all over my face.  It shouldn’t be like this—us arguing.  She’s frustrated with her inability to care for herself and I’m unwilling to bend on anything.  Fuck moving too fast.  If I hadn’t had my head so far up my ass that I could taste the bullshit I was spewing everywhere, then this whole ‘moving too fast’ bullshit wouldn’t be happening.

Last night, while she slept, I let my mind wander to where we would be had I given in to the drug that is Emmy’s love.  I let myself picture a future I never thought I would see.  Blessings.  That’s all I saw.  A wife, maybe some kids, and more happiness than I imagined possible.

Those are the things I’m fighting for now, and Jesus, I’m not exactly the one to beat around the bush when there is something I want.  No, something I need.

“You really want to toss that sass around?  It’s adding up, baby, and I can’t fucking wait.”

Her eyes widen and her mouth moves silently.

“Nothing to say?” I ask as I step toward the bed.  “I get it, Em.  I’ve given you every single reason to doubt me.  I’ve driven that into you and I’m sorry.”  I sit on the bed, shift so that I have one hand planted next to her hip, and bring the other up to cup her face, leaning in close enough that our noses touch and our breath mixes together.  “I’m here.  I’m not going anywhere and I’m fighting—for you, for me, for us.  Don’t give up on me because I took too long.”