Okay, I hadn’t been anywhere near a flight of stairs, but still, you get the idea.
Leander being all sweet when I expected asshole, though?
When I expected at him to yell at me for not being careful enough with his children?
Nope.
Nope, nope, nope.
I burst into sobbing so hard I could barely manage to stay on my feet.
And frankly, Leander wasn’t much help in that department since he’d been using me to stand upright after tossing his crutches.
“Jesus, you guys!” Makayla said, shoving Leander’s crutches back at him when she saw us wobbling. “Sit the hell down before we have to turn around and head back inside!”
Leander grabbed one crutch to steady himself but kept hold of me. “If you’ll let me, I’m never letting go.”
Chapter 7
HOPE
I was feeling too many emotions as we caught a taxi home. Makayla was riding up front with the driver because Leander had refused to leave my side.
He followed us right up to the apartment too. Which I guess was obvious. After all that I’d tried to do to put space between us to figure out the thoughts in my head, it seemed like my time might be up.
Leander only confirmed my suspicion when he passed the threshold of the girly apartment, took one look around, and then his heavy, intense gray eyes landed on me.
“I’ll stay here while you pack your shit.”
I made an exasperated noise. “You think you can just come in here and—”
Leander’s eyes went hard. “I do. Because you fainted and fell on your face. You’re outta your mind if you think I’m letting you out of my sight. You’re coming back with me where Milo and I can keep our eyes on you for the rest of the pregnancy.”
Every word out of his mouth just lit my fuse. He’d said all the right things at the hospital, but that was just me being delusional again.
I yanked away from his hand at the back of my waist. It was impressive he’d managed to keep a hand on me at all, considering he was still using his crutches, and I could tell he was in pain from his leg.
But it also just made it all the more apparent he couldn’t manhandle me. Ha.
I put my hands on my hips. “You can’t boss me around anymore. Haven’t you learned anything? I thought you were changing but you’re the same as always, aren’t you?”
Leander gritted his teeth and I could tell he was biting back words.
“No, go ahead. Say it. Tell me your real feelings, don’t try to pretty it up and lie to me.”
“Fuck, woman, why do you have to make everything so complicated?” he exploded.
I took a step away from him but he just started pacing back and forth in front of the door, which seemed even more dramatic because he had to use his crutches. He’d dig his crutches into the wood floor and then swing himself dramatically with every step.
He glared at me as he went. “Oh, I learned things while you were away. I learned it drives me fucking nuts staying put while you’re here and I don’t know what the hell is happening with you and the babies. I learned my heart stops and I felt like I was gonna die if something bad happened to you when Makayla called earlier.”
Finally, he crutched a step in my direction but stopped himself before invading my space. “And I know if you don’t come with me now, where I can keep watch over you and I can have my specialist doctor observe your condition and instead of just leave you to the whims of the obstetrics wing of the local ER wing of some hospital I know nothing about then—fine, you’re right! I haven’t learned. I haven’t changed.”
He glared me down. “Now go. Pack. Your. Things.”
Well, damn. I was probably screwed up because everything he’d just said, I found… hot. And comforting.
Today had scared the crap out of me too.
What if I overlooked something else that ended up hurting the babies?
Not that I needed ye olde overlords watching over my every step. But it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to have some extra hands helping out.
Plus, my dear friend Makayla had a life of her own. She’d already extended her vacation stay by a couple weeks. But she couldn’t stay here forever. She had a life and a busy career.
I know she’d been thinking of turning down a role because she thought I needed help after the babies came.
Going back with Leander was the right choice for now.
I’d come here to rediscover my strength, and I had… right?
I’d reconnected with my strong, teenage self who had left my unhealthy house and community and fled for the big city. I was a smart, badass woman who could do big things.