soon. He just had to wait. She was worth waiting for.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Brackish wasn’t in a bear of a mood. He was sad, incredibly sad, but he wasn’t angry. The last time he’d had a problem with Erin, he’d wanted to rip the heads off of anyone who dared speak to him. This time, he found himself staring at his phone, glancing at it even though no sound had indicated a new message, then setting it down again in defeat.
One day . . .
Two days . . .
Three days . . .
Should he send a message? Should he try to work it out? She’d asked him for time. He was giving it to her. But she was pregnant with his child. They had to work through this. He wanted to know how she was feeling, he wanted to make sure both she and his child were not only okay, but thriving. He wanted to go to the doctor with her. He wanted to work this out.
His phone buzzed. His gut clenched. He told himself not to get excited, not to assume it was her. It could be any of the men, it could be Chad, hell, it could be Joseph. He took his time picking up his phone and finally smiled after three long days and three even longer nights.
Can we meet?
Yes. When? Where?
He didn’t hesitate. He had no desire to play games. He wanted to see her, to talk to her, to hold her in his arms if she’d let him. The bubbles showed she was texting him and he waited.
After what felt like an hour, she replied with an address. He pulled it up on his computer and saw it was a hotel on the beach east of Seattle. On my way, he sent. He didn’t say a word to anyone in the building, just threw on his shoes, ran from his room, and took the first car he found in the garage.
The GPS said the drive was an hour and forty minutes. He made it in fifty-nine minutes. He parked his vehicle and went to her door, very aware his fingers were shaking when he lifted his hand to knock. He held his breath as he waited for her to open the door. He heard footsteps, and she was finally in front of him, a thick cotton robe tied tight around her body, her hair thrown back in a ponytail, and her face free of makeup. She’d never looked more beautiful.
“That was fast,” she said, her voice low, sounding sad. He wanted to pull her into his arms so much. He was scared she was ending it for good with him. He wouldn’t allow that to happen. He’d fight for her — prove why they should be together. They were a team, and they had a baby on the way. The child wasn’t the only reason he wanted to be with her; he loved her. He’d never question that. He’d never been as miserable as he’d been these past few days. She was like a fresh breath of air in the middle of a field surrounded by fire. He had to be with her.
“I didn’t obey the speed limits,” he said. He didn’t try to move forward. He was waiting for her to make the next move.
She opened the door wide. “Come in,” she told him.
He stepped inside the nice hotel room, purposely not looking at the inviting bed they passed on the way to the patio doors that were open. A large deck showcased a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean with waves crashing against the shore. It was nearly sunset, and there was no place he’d rather be than right there with her.
She sat in a chair and he sat next to her, turning it so they were facing each other, their knees only inches apart.
“I’ve been going out of my mind missing you and wondering how you’re feeling,” he told her. It was time to let go of his pride. Foolish pride had sunk more relationships than anything else.
“I’ve really missed you too,” she said. His heart swelled. “But I needed these three days. I needed to understand what I was feeling. I needed to know that everything was going to be okay whether we were together or not.”
His breath caught as he waited to hear what conclusion she’d come to. He didn’t dare speak for fear he might drop to his knees in front of her and beg her to be his. He might