I brushed her hair behind her ear and smiled. “I love you, too, Delaney.”
She sighed and laid her head on my shoulder. “I think we’re done having traumatic moments now, don’t you think?” Her body shook, and I knew through all of this, Delaney was laughing.
“I think you’re right, Del. It’s definitely time for us to smooth sail for a while.”
She raised her head again and smiled. “But even after all of this and losing the baby, we still have each other.”
“Damn straight, Del,” I agreed. “You’re never getting rid of me.”
Delaney was mine and nothing was ever going to change that.
*
Chapter Thirty-Five
Roc
“Fucking hell. It feels like I was hit by a truck,” I grunted.
“That’s because you were.”
I opened my eyes and was face to face with a woman in a white doctor coat.
“Hi. I’m Dr. Mave Clark. Let’s have a look at your chart.”
The End
Shutdown
Chapter One
Roc
“Eat.”
“I’m not fucking eating it.” I shoved the spoon out of my face and scowled at Harlyn. “That is shit.”
She rolled her eyes and dropped the spoon full of gloppy soup back into the bowl. “It’s clam chowder, not shit.”
That’s what they wanted me to fucking believe. “Bring me a pub burger and fries from the Rooster.”
“That is not happening now and definitely not when you get out of here. The doctor told me your cholesterol was through the roof. You need to lay off the pub burgers and grab a Caesar salad.”
“Rabbit food,” I grumbled.
“Well, rabbit food is what you’re going to be eating now. You might as well get on board with it.”
I pushed the tray of food away from me. “I’m in this fucking bed because both of my legs are busted, Harlyn, not because I wasn’t eating enough fucking salads.”
Harlyn sat down in the chair by the side of the bed and sighed. “You’re exhausting, Roc. You act like I’m torturing you by wanting you to eat a little healthier.”
I shrugged and grabbed the remote to the TV. I wanted to eat what I wanted to eat. After all, I was just basically run the hell over by a semi. A man should be allowed to be able to eat whatever the hell he wants if he makes it through that. “Bring me food from the Rooster tomorrow and I won’t give you shit.”
I flipped through the channels on the TV until I came across a rerun episode of Street Outlaws.
“There isn’t anything else to watch? Remy makes me watch this show all of the time.” She glared at me. “There are other things in life besides racing, you know?”
“There may be, but that isn’t the life I want.”
“Can’t say you aren’t dedicated,” she mumbled.
“Speaking of Remy, where is he?” The little asshole was starting to grow on me. Besides, it seemed that he was going to be sticking around since he was shacking up with Harlyn.
Harlyn crossed her legs and focused on the TV. “Getting ready for the next race. Thankfully, the car wasn’t damaged too much in the crash, and Brooks was able to find another hauler.”
It had been three days since the accident. The crew was back to work, and I was ready to climb the walls of the hospital. I was thankful I was the only one who was hurt, but I was also jealous as hell that everyone else was able to work. “I’m gonna miss this race, but I’ll be back for the next one.”
Harlyn snickered. “Right, Roc,” she drawled.
“I will be,” I insisted. “Ain’t no one who can take my place.”
“Frankie.”
I growled. “She’s good, but she doesn’t know everything I do.”
“But I do,” she sang out. “Frankie can handle anything in the garage, and I can handle anything in the office. You may think you’ll be back in the garage next week, Dad, but you’re so wrong.”
“Did you call me Dad to lessen the blow of you telling me I’m basically a cripple right now?”
She laughed and shook her head. “I would never do that.”
I could count on one hand the number of times Harlyn had actually called me “Dad.” She only did it when she wanted something. “I’ll be back, Harlyn. Sooner than you think. Don’t think you young whippersnappers are going to take the team away from me.”
“Pretty sure it’s Brooks’ team.”
“But I’m the one who makes that team run like a well-oiled machine.”
Harlyn muttered under her breath.
“Speak up if you’re gonna talk crap,” I mumbled.
She snatched the remote away from me and started flipping through the channels. “I said the team does run well with you, but it can also run well while you are recuperating.” She landed on some chick-flick and placed the remote out of my reach.
“I can recoup on the track.” I leaned over to try to grab the remote, but she put her hand on my arm and pushed me back to the bed.
“We’re watching this,” she insisted.
“I’m the one with two broken legs. Don’t you think I should be the one who decides what we watch?”
She shook her head. “No. You have been deciding, and for the next couple of hours I’m here tonight, we can watch The Prince and Me.”
“You’re making me eat healthy, and now, I can’t even watch what I want. It’s like you’re enjoying the fact I’m laid up in this bed.”
She giggled and nodded. “You’re onto me, Roc. I plotted out that semi taking you out so I could watch chick-flicks and torment you with rabbit food.”
“Ah ha!” I shouted. “You do admit that it’s rabbit food.”
“I admit nothing.” She grabbed the remote and turned up the volume on the TV. “If you’re not going to eat, then I suggest maybe taking a nap if you don’t like the movie I have on.”
“Punishing me,” I grumbled. I tugged the blanket up, hit the button to recline my bed, and sighed. It was only half past six, but I was exhausted. Lying in bed all day really took it out of ya. “I’m just resting my eyes, by the way.”
I didn’t need Harlyn thinking she was bossing me around or anything.
“Right, Dad,” she said softly.
My eyes fluttered shut, and I listened to the TV ‘til I drifted off to dreams of Caesar salads fighting pub burgers.
Pain pills were a wicked thing.
*
Mave
“I love this movie.”
Harlyn startled and sat up straight. “Jesus,” she gasped. “I didn’t even know you were there, Dr. Clark.”
I had actually been standing there a good five minutes watching the movie. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen it, and it was at the most romantic part when the prince swept her up on his horse in the middle of a crowded street. A definite swoon-worthy moment, even for a divorcee of forty-one. “Didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just coming around for my final rounds.”