Give Me War - Kate McCarthy Page 0,43
and while I’m glad he’s here, I also wish he wasn’t. If this doesn’t go well, he won’t ever come back from it. Jared has to. He has Wolf to think about, and a large extended family. My brother has lived his whole life looking after me. He hasn’t allowed himself anything else.
I force a smile and give him a thumbs up, hiding the sharp pang inside my heart. “I’m okay,” I mouth, knowing that if I come out of this unscathed, my brother’s profile is going up on a dating app. I don’t care if I have to drag him kicking and screaming through the process. Hell, he doesn’t even have to know. I can just pretend to be him until I lock in a date or two, or three. Whatever works. He needs taking care of and as his little sister, it’s my right to make that happen.
With that thought in mind, my gaze cuts to Henry, my other best friend. He stands on the other side of Coby and next to Mac, his white-blond hair tousled and face pale. He looks ready to vomit. Mac takes his hand, squeezing it while they watch.
Moses glances up at me before going back to the vest. “I’m going to need your autograph when we’re done here, Evie.”
A hysterical huff comes out of me. “Only if I can get yours.”
He chuckles, that’s how freaking calm he is. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
“Dude. You get me out of this, you’ve got backstage passes for life. I’ll even name my next kid after you.”
I feel another tug as Moses works. “What if it’s a girl?”
“Then she’ll wear it proudly knowing she’s named after the man who saved her life.”
His head lifts, frozen for a moment as he takes in the meaning of my words. “You’re pregnant?”
My lips press together as I give him a nod.
“Jesus.” He exhales. “You’re … that’s … Congratulations.” Moses shakes his head and tries again, going back to the device as he speaks. “I’m guess I’m here to get you both out of this damn thing then, huh?”
“That would be super awesome.”
A hard jerk on the vest makes me flinch and a muttered curse escapes the man. I curl shaky hands into fists and close my eyes, tilting my head to the sun as I try to block out what he’s doing.
I feel him shift around behind me, leaves crunching beneath his heavily booted feet. His hands move over my shoulders, his fingers grasping the undersides of the vest. I feel it skim down my arms.
“I’ll be expecting those backstage passes sooner rather than later,” Moses tells me as a sudden weight lifts off me.
My eyes fly open.
The vest is gone.
Jared starts running. Relief hits so hard the image of him blurs in front of me.
My legs are already giving out when I’m grabbed and lifted until I’m looking down at my husband. Jared holds one arm tight around my waist, crushing me to his chest. The other grabs the back of my head, curling into my hair as he pulls my face down close and mashes his lips against mine for a single, breathtaking kiss before he draws back, pressing our foreheads together.
Tears leak freely down my face, mixing with the blood and dirt I know is there. I don’t care that I’m a mess. He doesn’t either because he can’t seem to let me go. He only squeezes tighter and shudders against me. “Evie. God.” He closes his eyes.
“Jared.” I want to reassure him I’m okay, but I can’t. I promised myself I would be honest about how I feel from here on out, even if it’s hard, and right now I feel like a broken piece of glass and he’s the only one holding the shattered pieces together. “Don’t let go.”
His eyes open on mine. “I won’t.”
Mac bursts our little two-person bubble. “You’re going to have to let her go. We need a turn at hugging her too.”
Jared lowers me to the ground with reluctance. His hold loosens and my head starts to spin. The earth tilts like I just wobbled my way off the Gravitron ride at the local show. “Whoa.”
“Move, Mac.”
He nudges his sister away and pulls me in tight again, his green eyes searching my face. “Get the paramedics,” he tells the huddle of family around us.
Coby pushes his way in. “We already have an ambulance on standby. They’re making their way over.” His eyes search my face too. His brows are pinched