It’s Always Us (Abandoned Brothers #3)

Chapter 43

MARK

My Uber drops me at the curb, and I jog to the entrance. The bright lights inside illuminate the darkness. I find the separate side entrance Cal specified in a text and charge through the sliding doors.

The security guard sets a sandwich down, doing a double take.

“My wife is in room seven.”

His mouth turns upward into a toothy grin. “Congratulations.” He punches a button, and the double doors pop open, but he leans over the desk.

“Hey, can you sign this?”

He scrambles for a marker, shoving a white napkin and then a ballpoint pen at me. I want to ignore him, but I step back, grab the pen, and scribble my name.

He grins. “Thanks, man. Can’t wait to see where you’re headed.”

I slide through the doors, searching for room numbers. The small waiting room on my right is empty, except for a large, bearded, tattooed man who stands. His eyes are hard, his lips are tight, and I’m pretty sure his chest expands as he moves toward me. Slade.

Not right now, man.

“Nice to see you made it.” His snark makes every hair on my entire body stand on edge. My temperature instantly hits a thousand degrees as he stops in front of me. His arms are crossed, and he reminds me of Shane.

“Where’s her room? ”

I don’t have time to deal with whatever he’s trying to bring. I need to see my wife and babies. I need to touch her, breathe her in, and know for myself they’re all right. I’m so close, and this joker is in my way.

“You sticking around this time?” When I don’t answer, his jaw ticks. “I’m not sure where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing, but they both need you. She’s taken enough hits for you.”

“Look, I need you to get the hell out of my way. I get that you’re her friend, but right now, I don’t give a shit about what you have to say. I’ve spent the last six hours with the most horrific thoughts flooding my mind, and if you don’t move so I can see my wife, I will take you the fuck out.”

If looks could kill, I’d be dead.

He stands unfazed “She wasted away to nothing the first time you left. Suffocating right before our eyes. That may not have been how you wanted it, but it didn’t change the fact that I had to watch her try to figure out how to live. Now, she’s pregnant and trying to sort this out with Bree, and she’ll fight until she has nothing left. That can’t happen.”

I don’t need to justify or explain anything to him, but his standing here tells me how much he cares about Lex and Bree, so I will. I pull in a breath and let it out, trying to reel in my fists and temper, which is about one second away from ballistic.

“I would’ve never left if I’d known. She’s everything to me. Always has been and always will be. I’m not going anywhere unless they’re going with me. All of them.”

I mean every word. I don’t exactly know how to make that happen or what it will mean for my football career, but after today, nothing else matters. I’ve known it all along, but the truth punched me right in the face about a hundred times this afternoon, and I won’t ever forget it.

I release my fists, not realizing how tight I had them wound. “Now, I need you to move. Please.” I try for calm, but it sounds more like a passive threat.

He stares at me, hard, like he’s trying to see my soul and determine if I’m a lying piece of shit. “A few doors down the hall on the right.”

I move past him, ready to finally see my wife.

His low voice stops me. “Call me if there’s anything I can do . . . with any of it. ”

It’s possible I see him relax, but I can’t be sure. “Thank you,” I say, stepping away and moving door to door, looking for the one that holds my entire world.

Room 7. I stop at the cracked door where the TV flickers in the dim light.

I push it open slightly and find her in bed, eyes trained on the TV, hand resting on her large belly. Her blonde hair is in waves around her, and the large strips on her forehead make my own burn.

My lungs kick into action for what feels like the first time in hours, and I must make a sound because Lex’s attention snaps to me.

Her eyes roam over my face as mine eyes blur, making her fuzzy.

I blink rapidly, needing to see her. “Baby, I’m so sorry I—”

“Don’t.” Her voice is achingly soft.

“Lex, please.”

“Just . . . not right now.”

“I need to—” I push, wanting to tell her everything.

“Does it change anything?” Her voice catches. “How you feel about me? About us?”

I shake my head. “Never.”

Her lip quivers. “Then, please . . . just get in this bed with me.”

I don’t even hesitate, taking a few steps forward to slide in next to her and pull her to me. Her arms curl in, and I surround her.

“You’re ok,” I say, needing to convince my still racing mind. She nods against me. “The babies?” I whisper, tears filling my eyes as I hear her sniff.

She doesn’t answer, and my stomach seizes into a hard knot. If there was anything in it, I’d be looking for the nearest trash can.

Her voice shakes. “They’re ok. Both of them.” My chest expands with relief as I hold her even tighter. “I had a few contractions, but they settled down pretty quickly. They’re monitoring me tonight, and I can go home tomorrow.” Her voice is so soft. “Mark, what if—”

“Shhh. They’re ok. You’re ok.” I press my lips to her head, running my hand up and down her back. “I was so scared. Lex, what I heard . . . I’ve never been more terrified in my life. ”

Her hands fist my shirt, pulling me closer, but we are already tucked together as tight as we can be. I move my hand to her stomach, feeling the hard monitor.

“I think they’re finally sleeping,” she whispers. “Peyton and Eli apparently liked all the attention this afternoon.”

Peyton and Eli. “Great. Two drama queens on our hands. They totally get that from you.”

She tips her chin up to look at me. Her teary blue eyes are soft and sleepy. “I’ve missed you so much.” She blinks quickly, forcing her emotions away.

I press my lips to hers gently. “I’ve been a complete selfish prick.”

She tucks her head in my neck, and even with the stringent smell of antiseptic and plastic, she smells so freaking good.

“Mark.” She pauses. “It’s a really big mess.”

“It’s ok. We’ll figure it out.”

“She’s scared. She’s not eating or sleeping. She’s sick.”

I know she means Bree, and I hate myself even more for not being here. I know exactly what that feels like. I should’ve been here all along.

“Does she know about me?”

She shakes her head slightly. “I didn’t want to tell her . . . ”

While I was being a self-centered asshole. “How about we do it together?”

Her lips press against my jaw. “Ok.” She moves her arm beneath mine to wrap it around my back. “How did it go in Seattle?”

“I don’t want to talk about that. It doesn’t matter.”

“Please. I need to talk about something else. Take me out of all this for a bit.” She sniffs again, pressing in further to my neck, and I feel the dampness of her tears.

I tell her about it. The general conversation. The short practice. Rob taking video he to shop around. As I talk, her body fully relaxes into mine.

Today was a wake-up call. I want to keep playing football at the highest level, but I want this more. So much more. There was a time when I’d have given it all up. It’s still true. I’ll give it all up if I have to.

She said things are a mess. Tomorrow, I’ll find out exactly what that means and make sure Lex knows we’re in this together. I’ll meet my sister and let Cal know I’m moving in.

Then, at some point, I might have to face the woman who cared more about getting high than she ever did about me.