Shattered King by Sherilee Gray

Author:Sherilee Gray
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

CHAPTER TWELVE

Lulu

My mother ran her frail hand over Josh’s hair, unable to contain her joy at having another visit with her grandson. I’d brought him to meet her two days ago. At first, she’d been shocked, but I couldn’t think of a reason to keep him away, not now. Pierce already knew about him and so did Hunter. There was no point denying them the chance to spend time with each other.

When she asked who his father was, Hunter, who had been standing silently in the corner of the room watching us, the way he always watched us, intense and alert, had piped up in that deep, rough voice, “Josh is mine.” That’s all he said, all he had to say.

Mom accepted it.

We visited the day before as well. We still didn’t have any leads on Pierce, but Hunter was sure he was still in the city. I’d been racking my brain for where he could be. Pierce had taken me to a lot of places, but over the years they’d become one big blur. A nightmare I’d worked hard to forget. Several stuck out, though, but some I’d have to see to recognize.

It was frustrating. I wanted to help. I wanted Pierce locked up. I wanted Josh safe.

But this afternoon, I didn’t want to think about any of that, because for the first time since I’d seen her, my mother had color in her cheeks. Her eyes, that had been a dull gray instead of her usual bright blue, were sparkling like sapphires. And even though I knew the prognosis, I couldn’t stop the hope stirring inside me. Hope was stupid and a waste of energy. Miracles didn’t happen, despite what people said. But if the light shining from her today meant that I got a few more with her, I’d take them, and I’d treasure every second.

We’d been at the hospital for several hours. Though she looked bright and happy, I could see the fatigue creeping in. Josh had been chatting animatedly most of the time we’d been here, but I could see my son was getting tired as well. He’d been rubbing his eyes for the last hour. I was reluctant to leave. But he’d had enough and was ready for dinner and bed. And if I didn’t get him home soon, a meltdown of epic proportions wouldn’t be far away.

I stood, leaned in, and kissed my mother’s soft cheek. She turned to me. “Are you going?

“Yeah, Mom. We better let you get some rest.”

Her hand came to my wrist, and she held on, making my heart squeeze painfully. “Are you coming back tomorrow?”

“Bright and early.” I kissed her again then lifted Josh into my arms.

“I’d love that.”

I helped her settle back, making sure her pillows were where she wanted them, lifted her water to her mouth so she could take a sip through the straw, then tucked the blankets around her. Her eyes grew heavy instantly. “Sleep well, Mom.”

She smiled again and we left, closing the door behind us.

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.