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“Yeah, because you couldn’t. Then everyone would’ve figured you out,” I sneered. “Leave me. Forget I exist like you’ve so masterfully done for my entire life. Go to your son. I don’t want or need you. I never have and never will.”
The other nurse’s brows twitched, a hint of confusion swiping across her features. Laura remained still for another a second as a large hand slammed against the door above the mousy nurse. She squeaked in fright as Cassidy marched into the room.
His eyes were wild, narrowed with rage nearly equal to the look he’d had upon seeing me being held captive by Wayde. “You heard her,” he snarled. All fear, all anguish, everything that weighed me down from this interaction with this woman flushed away in an instance. A smile spread across my face at the sight of Cassidy so broody and possessively protective.
“I don’t have the use of my legs right now, but he does. And all I have to do is ask. So, leave. Now,” I triumphantly and proudly said.
Laura shot me one last shame-filled glance and then quickly whisked out of the room.
Closing my eyes, my hand slapped against my mouth as tears crashed down my face. Both relief and closure filled me, along with a hint of my own grief. It would take time to mourn the loss of the idea that I might’ve had a mother.
Rough, calloused fingers slid against my cheeks, rubbing away the stains of tears. “The doctors are on their way. What do you need?” Cassidy whispered, his lips melting against my forehead.
“Nothing,” I replied softly. “I did it. I faced her. I got answers. I’m okay now. But she’ll never be a part of my life. Of our life.”
His lips brushed up and down against my skin. “Sounds perfect to me, Goldie. Sounds perfect to me.”
Chapter 33
CASSIDY
Several hours passed, filled with more waiting on my end, and tons of tests on hers. All my body seemed to be able to do was pace. Back and forth. Back and forth across the floor of her hospital room. Eventually, I managed to plop myself down on a chair, only for that to be interrupted the moment the door opened.
Except it wasn’t Briar returning from her scans. Rooney and Weston walked in and dragged two more chairs to either side of mine. “What about Tenley?” I asked as Weston plopped himself down.
“She said to come. CeCe is on a fairly simple schedule, and she told me my hovering was getting annoying,” Weston replied with a chuckle.
Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back, idling my time away while Briar got another scan of something, leaving me to hope that the prognosis was better than the dire black hole I was slipping into. Holding onto the hope that she wasn’t actually paralyzed shifted into something more like denial hours ago.
“Everyone knows, by the way,” Weston said, breaking the monotonous silence that had been consuming me.
“Knows what?” I asked, glancing at my brother.
“That you and Briar are together,” he answered.
“Oh. Well, I wasn’t exactly trying to hide it.”
“And everyone knows about you, Rooney,” he lightheartedly teased, turning to my other companion, twiddling his thumbs beside me.
“Knows about me? About what?” Rooney asked, glancing up at Weston.
“You’ve been staying at Rosemary’s house for the past week and have slowly put some horses on the market,” Weston explained, and my jaw fell to the floor—the exact distraction that I knew Weston was pining for.
“I didn’t know that,” I said.
“Well, you’ve been here for a couple weeks now, so understandable that you wouldn’t,” Weston answered.
“I’ll buy them,” I blurted out, looking at Rooney.
Both men furrowed their brows as I returned my gaze to my brother. It was bold, brazen, and impulsive, but it was exactly what I needed to do, especially considering the shift in everything around me. Especially for Briar. If she never regained feeling in her legs, I would do whatever it took to make sure she rode a horse again, and this was the first step in getting her what she needed and deserved.
“I know this is short notice, but I quit. This has nothing to do with you and everything to do…with…” My voice trailed off as a grin widened so bright on Weston’s face; I was rather shocked. “Why are you smiling like that?” I asked, pulling my brows together.
“No reason. Just…What’s the plan now?” He chuckled and shared a glance with Rooney, who was also grinning to himself. It was as if they both knew that this was coming.
Rolling my eyes, I smoothed some wrinkles from my pearl snap shirt that Weston had brought for me to change into. “I want to train horses. Full time.”
“How much land do you need?” Weston asked, and I pulled my brows together, glancing back at him.
