Broken & Bound (Lust & Love Book 2) by Mindy Paige

Author:Mindy Paige [Paige, Mindy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-02T16:00:00+00:00

I keep my eyes glued to the spot above Damien’s shoulder the entire ride over, my mind swirling with a slew of worst-case scenarios. So lost in my thoughts, I only realize we’ve made it to the hospital when Damien hollers, “Hop off!”

My body reacts before I do. As if in a trance, I dismount, and moments later, the helmet is lifted from my head.

“You ready?” Damien asks, his dark eyes swirling with concern.

I smile, but it looks more like a grimace. The worry in his face deepens, confirming the latter.

“I’m ready,” I tell him, deciding not to try another smile.

He walks me to the sliding doors, leading me by the hand as I begin to drag behind. The distinct smell of sickness and disinfectant slams into me as the doors slide open, causing the hairs on my forearms to stand on end.

My feet stop, firmly planted just outside of the threshold. Damien looks back, his face wrinkled in a frown.

“What's wrong?”

“I just...” My voice falters as tears build in the corners of my eyes. I raise my arm, wiping them away forcefully before Damien can get a good look.

“I just don’t like hospitals, okay?” My words come out defensive, surprising us both.

Damien raises a brow in question but otherwise stays silent.

I sigh. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean for that to come out that way. It's just...” I take a deep breath through my nose, lowering my gaze so I don’t have to look him in the eye as I tell him.

“It’s not just a hospital. It’s the same one my mom died at. The same one I had to basically live in for a month when I was five.”

He looks at me wide-eyed, sadness and torture contorting his face.

“It was a fluke. Drunk driver T-boned us in the intersection. Mom died a few days later in the hospital,” I tell him, my voice coming out monotone despite the storm swirling in my mind.

“I’m so sorry, Liz,” he whispers, stepping forward to pull me into his chest. “I never knew that’s how you lost her.”

“I don’t really like talking about it,” I mutter, my face already buried into his cotton tee shirt.

“Shhh, it’s okay. I got you,” Damien coos, leading me to one of the stone benches out front. “I got you now.”

He sits me on his lap with one hand rubbing gentle circles on my back. He stays silent for the most part, just holding me and wiping away the occasional rogue tear.

“I don’t know how I’m going to do this,” I whisper to him, my voice breaking with emotion.

“Well, for starters, you and I are going to sit here for a bit—just a little bit—I saw that look,” he teases, giving me a gentle smile and a kiss on the cheek. “Once you feel like the world isn’t going to spin out from under you, I’m gonna take your hand, and we’ll go in there and face it. Together.”

I sense his eyes on me, so I give him a nod.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.