“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, Posey’s dad is here.”
“Oh, okay. Call me back.”
“I will,” I say, hanging up and tucking my phone into my pocket. “If you want to beat on me some more, can we wait? I’m hanging on by a thread.”
He stops beside me, leaning on the window’s ledge. “I’m not going to hit you. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”
I stand, leaning on the same ledge with one hand as I wipe my face with my other. “Emotions were high.”
“Still, there is no excuse for my actions. I didn’t even think, which isn’t surprising. The kids and Elli make me crazy.”
I quirk my lips. “I always say pretty girls make me stupid.”
He chuckles darkly. “Yeah, that’s the case for me with Elli. With the kids, I just have to protect them.”
She isn’t my kid, of course, but all I want to do is protect Posey. “I hear you.”
He doesn’t say anything, and I don’t dare either. I just stand there, watching as cars drive by under us. My heart is in my throat, and I don’t even know what to do. Should I walk away? Does he still want to talk to me? I don’t know, but I don’t move.
“Are you two living together?”
“No. I have a house, but I do stay with her at her apartment a lot. She doesn’t like my house since it’s the house I had with my ex-fiancée.”
“Why didn’t that work out?”
“She cheated on me.”
He whistles. “That sucks.”
“It did at the time, but if it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have met and fallen hopelessly in love with Posey.”
He looks annoyed at my admission, but he doesn’t say so. Instead, he asks, “How long have you two been together?”
“Nine weeks.”
“That’s not long.”
“I knew the moment I met her that she was special and she was going to change my life.” I look at him then. “I know you think I’m just a hockey player—”
“That was wrong of me. I’m man enough to admit that.” His voice breaks, and he looks away. “I can’t lose my baby.”
I close my eyes as I lean into the window. How can I be positive when he says that?
“The blood loss is what scares me.”
“Me too.”
“She hit her head on the sink. She was bleeding from both ends.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, my stomach turning. “I wish I had been there. I would have protected her.”
“Yeah, maybe then I wouldn’t have clocked ya one.”
I scoff. “I think you would have anyway.”
He laughs. “Probably.” Then he lets out a heavy breath. “Elli said she doesn’t think you guys knew about the baby.”
“We didn’t,” I say, scrubbing my hand along my mouth. “Or, at least, I didn’t.”
He nods. “Would you have stayed?”
A sob escapes my lips. “Yes,” I say, finally meeting his gaze. “I love her, Mr. Adler. There aren’t even words to express how I feel for her.”
He licks his lips. “Would you have married her?”
I wipe my face. “I don’t need a baby to force me into marriage with her. I’d marry her now because I want to.”
“Does she feel the same about you?”
“Yeah,” I say confidently. “We make each other really happy.”
“You know she gets sick a lot more than most. It’s not easy. I’ve watched my wife suffer, and it’s rough.”
“It scares me, but I can handle it. I’ll take care of her, like I know you took care of Elli.”
He nods, and I can’t read him. “There is a chance she might not be able to have children after this. Believe me, she doesn’t need children right now, but is that a deal-breaker? Because if so, just go—”
“It’s not. I want kids, but I want her more. We’re young. We don’t need kids yet, biological or otherwise.”
He purses his lips. “I want to hate you.”
“I imagine it would be easy for you to do since you don’t know me.”
“Exactly. So I want to get to know you.”
I meet his gaze, and I nod. “I’d really appreciate that, because I’m not going anywhere.”
He quirks his lip just like my girl does, and when he cups my shoulder, I’ll admit I flinch a bit. “Good to know. She deserves someone who will fight for her.”
“I’m that someone.”
We share a long look, but then we hear a pair of heels approach, and Elli exclaims, “She’s out! They were able to repair her fallopian tube and are confident she can still have children. She is still asleep, but they said we can see her.”
I don’t think I even process what she said; I just start moving.
Because for her words to be true, I have to see it for myself.
Shea and I get to Posey’s room at the same time. A nurse is hanging some bag thingy on a stand, and I don’t care that she is here. I move past Shea and go straight to the side of Posey’s bed. I drop to my knees, taking her hand in mine. She’s sleeping, and thankfully, the tube from her mouth is gone. Shea asks something as he takes her other hand, and I thread my fingers with hers, drinking in her beautiful face. Some of her color is back, but it’s obvious we have a long road ahead of us.