“Then I’m with you.” With those devastatingly simple words, he straightened and put the truck in Drive as a horn blast erupted from behind them. They shared a smirk and a chuckle, but hers came more from a place of amazement at the way things happened. Who would’ve thought a few weeks ago that she would confide her deepest, darkest secret to someone who was damn near a complete stranger, someone who took a chance on a lonely girl walking along a dirt road? And that she would be living with him?
Crazy. It made her look forward to the near future with equal parts dread and curiosity. Where would they be tomorrow? A month from now?
All she wanted was for things to go back the way they were. If only she hadn’t gotten in the car with Max that night. If only she hadn’t gone out with him in the first place. If only, if only.
Starla knew she wasn’t alone in her hatred for hospitals. She’d never had reason to be admitted into one herself, and except for ailing grandparents, rarely had cause to visit one. Her friends were young and strong and healthy. They weren’t supposed to be here. It smelled like sickness and despair. Jared was a rock beside her, though. Without even thinking about it, she curled her fingers around his and, realizing what she’d done, sucked in a quick breath at how natural the movement had seemed. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
Ghost was absolutely going to flip his shit.
But Jared didn’t let go of her hand, not when they got on the elevator, and not when they got off and approached the ICU waiting room. He remained silent walking beside her.
And, as luck would have it, Macy was the first person they saw as they entered the waiting room.
Any other time, Starla might have noticed the way Macy’s eyes nearly fell out of her head when she saw them together and felt no small hint of satisfaction. But sitting beside her, looking as if she wanted to bolt from the room, the building, the earth itself, was Candace. And she was all that mattered right now, she and Brian.
With her blonde hair half falling from a bun and her oversize knit cardigan hanging off her shoulders, Candace looked a mess, but an adorable one. Even though they’d seen each other only a few hours ago, she stood and raced into Starla’s arms as soon as she saw them, and even had a hug for Jared. Starla was surprised for a moment, but then she guessed that as Candace’s best friend’s former boyfriend of several years, Jared was no stranger to her.
Macy had gotten to her feet and stood awkwardly off to the side, fingers clenched around the shoulder strap of her expensive-looking purse. Ghost was nowhere to be seen; he might be with Brian. They were only letting a few visitors in at a time.
“Any change?” Starla asked Candace once she stepped back.
She shook her head and wiped under both eyes, then pulled her sweater tighter around her. “He’s stable, but he’s still sedated.”
“Do you need anything?” Jared asked.
“Just for him to get better. Mom has Lyr, but Macy’s going to pick him up and keep him for a little while to give her a break.” Candace glanced back at her friend. Macy took the invitation to approach, smiling tightly.
“You’re letting Ghost around an infant?” Starla joked, then immediately wished she hadn’t. The last thing she wanted to do was get Jared started. But she didn’t think he had looked at Macy once, and now that she had walked over to them, he seemed exceptionally busy reading the visitation rules sign across the room.
“It’ll be good for him,” Macy said. As always, the lithe, leggy brunette was impeccably put together, a far cry from her ink-wearing, bald, smart-mouthed boyfriend. She was diamonds and designers when she wasn’t outdoorsy rodeo queen. Ghost was heavy metal and muscle cars. It was a union that would never make sense.
“I’ll pick him up around eight,” Candace said to Macy.
“Are you sure? He can stay the night with me if you need to be here.”
“No, he’ll have you up every couple of hours.”
“I don’t mind, Candace. You need sleep.” God, it was the truth. Candace looked as if she had aged ten years overnight. The skin under her weary, red-rimmed blue eyes was bruised. A newborn made for sleepless nights anyway, and now this had happened. The girl was on the verge of collapse, physically and emotionally, and she was between a rock and a hard place. Her own family was all but useless to her and Brian’s was as distraught as she was. Starla had seen the entirety of the Ross clan last night—Brian’s sister, Gabby, and her husband, Ian, had driven in from Dallas, arriving in the middle of the night. Just before dawn, his older brother and sister-in-law, Evan and Kelsey, had made it to the hospital after a long drive from Austin. Their collective grief and horror had been part of the reason Starla had to flee. And his poor parents…
Starla wanted to offer help. She wanted to do something. But she didn’t know shit about babies, and she was staying in a house that wasn’t hers, so she kept her mouth shut.
“At least let me stay with you, or both of you come stay with us,” Macy was saying. “I’ll handle baby duty while you rest. It’s fine. We’re here for you. Let us be.”