The Brightest Sunset (The Darkest Sunrise #2)

“And how exactly is that?” I asked, sour settling in my mouth.

“You’re going to have to stay away from the hospital until our court date.”

My blood ignited into a vicious inferno. “No fucking way.”

She rested her hands on my chest. “Listen, Porter. Tom and your attorneys spoke with Judge Gratham to get you released. They told him about Travis’s heart and that, when he collapsed, it was a highly emotional situation, but they have assured him that you breaking the order was a one-time thing.”

My eyebrows shot up. “We’ve been basically living together for a week.”

She cut her gaze away, and her cheeks pinked. “Yeah… We, um…decided to leave that part out.”

“How? We were at Tanner’s for a cookout when the ambulance picked him up.”

“Uh, no. We were not anywhere. Travis and I stopped by Tanner’s to pick up some more of his things. You just happened to show up about the time Travis collapsed.”

I closed my eyes—that sour in my stomach turning into rot. “So, we’re flat-out lying to the police now?”

She looped her arms around my hips and shifted closer. “Porter, we’re doing what we have to do to stay together and keep you out of jail. It’s not ideal. But it worked. Judge Gratham signed off on your release and agreed to move up our court date to two days from now so that you can hopefully be allowed supervised visitation while Travis is in the hospital.”

“Supervised visitation. Outstanding.”

“I’ll be supervising it. So, really, it will be like any other night that we are all together. Isn’t that what matters? That we’re all together?”

I groaned. “It’s not sexy when you use my words against me.”

She smiled and it soothed the worry inside me. “Well, good. Because there is nothing sexy about the way you smell right now.” She giggled and tried to push me away, but I held her close

“Excuse me. I stepped out of the county jail, not a day spa.”

Still wearing a gorgeous smile, she peered up at me through her lashes. “We’re going to be okay, Porter.”

“I know. I’m just sick of all the bullshit.”

“We’ll video chat, okay? The minute he comes around, I’ll call you and Hannah and we’ll hang out like that for the next few days.”

I nodded even though my heart was screaming for me to say fuck it all and head straight up to that hospital to see my son. But, if I wanted any hope of us being together again, I had to play by the rules.

I kissed her forehead. “What’d you have to do to get Tom in on this?”

“I batted my eyelashes and cried a little. He was no match for my guilt trip.”

I barked a laugh. “I’m not sure if I should be proud of you or worried about our future together now.”

She curled in close. “Worried, probably.”

I touched my lips to the top of her head. “One of these days, our lives will become boring. We’re going to be sitting on a couch together, asking each other repeatedly, ‘What’s for dinner?’ and getting frustrated when we come up with no answers. The kids are going to be wandering around, complaining, and whining that they have nothing to do. There will be nothing on TV. No good movies out. The weather will be crappy and the four of us will be stuck in the house all damn day, fighting and bickering with each other for no other reason than it provides two minutes of excitement. And I swear to you. That will be the happiest day of my entire life. This shit, where every day is another drama, is killing me.”

She craned her head back and dreamily stared up at me. “That sounds amazing.”

Just then, Tanner came strolling over. “How many times am I going to have to bail you out of jail?”

I smirked. “Now you know how I felt when we were in college.”

“Touché,” he replied.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and then looked up at me. “I have to get back to the hospital. I don’t want him waking up without me.”

I groaned, my heart aching at the thought of not being there when he needed me the most. But it eased me to know that at least Charlotte would be there. “Yeah. Definitely. Get up there.”

“I love you, Porter. Just a few more days.”

“I love you too. Take care of my boy.”




“Hey, buddy!” I cooed in a baby voice I knew for a fact he hated, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I was seeing my son alive and awake for the first time since I’d dragged him out of that pond.

I hated that it was via a damn video chat, but beggars can’t be choosers. And, right then, I was a beggar to the highest power. It had been a horrible twenty-four hours. At that time just the day before, we had been laughing and eating pasta salad. Now, my son was covered in wires and laid up in a hospital bed, waiting for a heart that may or may not come.

“Hey, Dad,” he said weakly.

He looked like hell—dark circles under his eyes, his face swollen and still pale. But his heart was beating, and that was all that mattered.

“Let me see him!” Hannah yelled, climbing up onto my bed and into my lap. “Hey, Travis.”

“Hey, Hannie,” he mumbled.

“How ya doing?” I asked, turning the phone on the side so he could see both Hannah and me in the same frame.

“Not good,” he groaned.

My stomach pitched, but Charlotte immediately moved the phone to her face and corrected him.

“He’s doing great. His BP is steady, pulse ox is coming up, and his EKG looks better than any of us had hoped. He’s still a little groggy and tired from the medication, but as soon as that wears off, he should start feeling better.”

“Okay. Good,” I whispered when I didn’t trust my voice.

God, this sucked. In all of the times Travis had gone to the hospital, I’d always been the one to go with him. And, now, I was stuck at home like some kind of caged animal waiting for permission to see my own damn son.

“And, now, he’s asleep,” Charlotte drawled, flashing the camera to my son, his eyes closed and his mouth hanging open in slumber.

I chuckled at the sight, but it did nothing to tame the anger brewing inside me.

“Go watch your movie, baby,” I told Hannah. “I’m going to talk to Charlotte for a minute and then I’ll be out.”

“Okay,” she chirped. “Bye, Charlotte.”

“Goodnight, Hannah. I’ll see you soon.”

Hannah started to climb off the bed, but then she froze and leaned back into the frame. “Travis only likes red and orange Jell-O. If he gets green, Daddy brings it home to me.”

Charlotte laughed. “I’ll be sure to set it aside for you.”

Hannah nodded and then wandered out of the room.

I shoved two pillows behind me and reclined against the headboard. Once I was settled, I asked, “How are you holding up?”

She quietly moved through the hospital room and into the bathroom, where she shut the door. “I’m okay, actually. He really is looking better, Porter.”

“Like, good enough to maybe come home?” Even I heard the hope in my voice.

She winced and shook her head.

“Right. Of course,” I said, pretending like I hadn’t been stabbed in the gut.