Don’t fucking do it, Kyra. Be with me. I could take care of this. All of it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - ETHAN
I woke up with an ache that crashed through my body like a fucking eighteen-wheeler. I sat up from the chair I was slouched in, arching my back, trying to get it to pop. I’d spent the entire fucking night in the waiting room of the hospital, staying with Kyra since she refused to go home. We all had, really. We took shifts staying up with her since she couldn’t sleep. I was in charge of getting everyone breakfast when I got up so Harper could take a fucking nap and, as I stood from my seat, I threw my back around and heard it crack.
It trickled all the way up my spine and I couldn't help but sigh with relief. Holy fuck, these chairs were uncomfortable but it was all we could do since Kyra insisted she wanted to stay here. Of course, that asshole Landon went back to his comfortable bed and breakfast nook to catch a snooze, which only served to prove why the fuck Kyra shouldn’t take him up on that offer. I didn’t give a shit if it would do her father wonders. That asshole didn’t care about her or Mark.
Hell, the fucking douchebag didn’t even know the man’s name!
Around three o’clock that morning, Kyra woke us all up to tell us Mark was stable. But even then, Kyra still insisted she stay. We all hugged her close, drawing her into our arms and getting a piece of her before we watched her travel back down to Mark’s room. We all wanted to see him, to see how he was doing, but this was time Kyra needed with her father.
Because even though he was stable for now, things could always take a turn fast.
Now that he was stable and I had tagged Rowan so he could get some rest, I went out to the store to get us all some things.
“Rowan.”
“What?” he said, groaning.
“Call me if anything changes, okay?” I said. “I’m heading out to get something.”
“The fuck? Whatever, man. I’ll let you know.”
“I’m serious,” I said. “If anything happens—”
“Holy shit, just get outta here. Mark’s stable. Landon won’t be by because he’s a dick. We’re good. Go. And bring back some fucking coffee, would ya?”
I smiled and headed for my motorcycle, cranking it up even in the dead of winter. There wasn’t a thing that could keep me from riding this thing around, though I wasn’t sur
e how I was bringing everyone coffee back on it. The truth was, I had yet to get Kyra a Christmas gift and, now that I’d sold that last bike I was repairing, I had the money to get her something nice.
And what was exactly what I was going to do.
I was standing outside of the only jewelry shop on this side of town. The clerk was unlocking the door while I stood there, gazing at the articles in the window. He asked me if I was looking for anything in particular and I told him I would know it when I saw it.
Then, I simply walked around.
There were diamonds and emeralds. White gold and rose gold. Pearls and bracelets and onyx stones and dangling earrings. All of it was beautiful but none of it screamed Kyra. She was delicate. Powerful. Unassuming in her intelligence and humble when it came to her strength. My brothers and I might be strong but she was our rock and I wanted something that communicated that.
That communicated her unassuming beauty as well as her strength.
Finally, a bracelet caught my eye. It had a delicate, rose gold band that housed what looked to be little infinity symbols. They were all connected by a delicate rose gold chain that glistened in the lighting of the store but between each of the infinity symbols was a bold onyx stone.
It was perfect. Delicate but strong. Beautiful but bold. It shouted Kyra to me but, before I could point it out to the clerk, my phone rang in my pocket.
I fished it out as quickly as I could and put it to my ear.
“Rowan, is everything okay?”
“Ethan, where are you?” Kyra asked.
“Kyra?”
I held the phone out and saw it was her that was calling and my heart began to speed up as I put my hand over the receiver.
“Dude. This bracelet with the infinity symbols and the onyx stones. I’m gonna be back to get that tomorrow. Can I lay it away?”
“I can do that for you. Just need your card to file it under.”