Page 67 of Love Me Again

Molly’s hug was tight and had tears and sadness prickling through the righteous anger Josie was trying to hold onto.

“I hope you come back, but either way, you’ve got my number,” she whispered. She gave one last squeeze. “Don’t be a stranger.”

Then she left. And Josie was alone. Finally.

Always.

Boone climbed into Molly’s truck. He should probably ask if they had time for him to run through the shower, try to get himself together, but…

If he did that, he’d end up falling apart. He was holding on by a lot of tiny little threads, because he knew Josie would be gone when he got back.

He wasn’t letting her go that easy, but he kind of thought he had to let her go, let her break his heart just like he’d once broken hers. Maybe it would make them even.

It’ll never be even, and that’s why you never went after her before.

He closed his eyes, leaned his head back on the headrest, and was grateful Molly didn’t try to talk or ask questions.

The sound of the truck bumping and rattling as Molly drove them to Benson and the hospital was the only noise at all. Boone kept his eyes closed, his breathing even.

When the truck came to a stop, and Molly killed the engine, Boone didn’t immediately open his eyes. He needed to find some more strength to face…all of this.

“You okay?” Molly asked gently.

Boone opened his eyes, stared at the hospital building in front of them. He couldn’t look at Molly. Couldn’t let himself fully absorb this pain or he might lose those last tendrils of control.

“No, not really.” He inhaled deeply, let it out. “I’ll come up with a way to…” His voice was going to crack if he wasn’t careful. But he couldn’t give into the hopeless feeling, the pain, the worry.

He’d done that once and now he’d promised her he wasn’t that guy anymore. So he couldn’t be. “She loves me. I hurt her, and I let that hurt compound way too long, but she still loves me, so I’ll keep fighting.”

“I’ve got faith in you, Boone.”

He wouldn’t have believed her even a few months ago. Who should have faith in him? But it didn’t matter. Not faith or love or hurt. What mattered was…

He would find a way to be what Josie needed. He would be there for her no matter what. He wouldn’t give up, and whatever mistakes he made, he’d do his level best to fix them. And if that meant he spent the rest of his life unforgiven, he’d do it.

She was it for him. If his mistake was fatal, that was…well, shitty, but he’d only accept failure once he was dead.

He walked into the hospital with his sister, ready to face his family and meet his new nephew. And once he did all that, he’d come up with a plan.

In the waiting room, Mom fluttered and Micah beamed and Lindsay bounced in her seat while Cal looked a little green around the gills. Which matched Lou, who was clearly coming to terms with her own impending motherhood, while Gavin had his arm slung around her.

When it was his and Molly’s turn to be led back to a room to meet the baby—they were going in pairs so as not to overcrowd the room or overwhelm Cora—he let his older sister sling a companionable, supportive arm around him.

Because sometimes, the thing you really had to do, was learn how to lean. Josie had told him that. Love is letting people take care of you, Boone. And love is taking care of people. It’s not hiding yourself away so the love doesn’t hurt.

He was going to take that to heart.

Inside the hospital room, Cora sat up in the bed. She had her hair pulled back and looked far too beautiful to have pushed a baby out of her recently. Shane stood next to the bed, a bundle of blankets in his arms. He looked like his buttons might burst, so full of pride and love.

Shane looked up at them. His eyes gleamed. “All right. Who’s going to hold their nephew first?”

“Mol can take the first. I need to observe the technique.”

Molly gladly went up to Shane as Shane carefully transferred the bundle. Boone went to the chair set up next to Cora’s bed and took a seat.

“How you doing, champ?” he asked. “Because you look great.”

Cora reached over, patted his arm. “I’ve never been better, but that might be the painkillers talking.”