And my soul froze inside of me.
I broke down into a sobbing mess of tears.
HAGGARD
“Baby,” I whispered, pulling her into my arms after releasing the seat belt. “Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.”
She sniffled hard. “Nobody loves me.”
I blinked, wondering if I’d heard her correctly. “What?”
Nobody loved her? What the hell was she talking about?
“H-he l-l-left.” She hiccupped, her tears now hitting my throat and rolling down the length of my chest. “He didn’t e-e-even come home to see if I was going to be okay.”
Her dad.
Okay.
That…
“And then you won’t touch me,” she whispered. “You look at me like I’m diseased. I know you regret our kiss.”
I froze, my hand stalling on her back as her words hit me.
“I don’t regret our kiss,” I told her firmly.
Frankly, I’d done a hell of a lot of thinking in the last week.
So much so that I’d realized how goddamn stupid I’d been.
I’d denied myself what I wanted for so long in my life that it was second nature to hide my feelings.
But in the hospital when she woke up? When I was on my way to the hospital to see her for the first time? Every single instant over the last week that I’d stayed by her side?
My resolve had solidified.
She was mine, and I wasn’t going to let her go.
Madden had already proven to me that he was no longer going to matter—at least not to our happiness—and I was okay with that.
Madden had made his choice, and that choice meant leaving his daughter behind to protect himself.
I wasn’t going to waste any more time fighting a pull that felt soul deep.
“Baby,” I said softly. “I’m going to tell you something now. Then I want you to remember it as you heal over the next few weeks.”
Her breath hitched. “What?”
“You and me?” I asked. “We’re happening. We’re not wasting any more time on what-ifs, or this isn’t rights. You’re going to be mine, and I’m going to be yours. And we’re going to say ‘fuck you’ to everyone else that has a problem with it. Whether it be my kids, your dad. My ex-wife, or even Taos. We’re not going to live life anymore pretending that there isn’t something there between us. I’ve lived long enough to know that this isn’t something I’m willing to fight against anymore. I love you. I’ve loved you for a long time. And you being ran over by a fucking car was enough of a wake-up call to me that I’m done denying that. So no, when you say nobody loves you, that’s not true. I want you. And I love you.”
Her breath hitched.
“You l-love me?” she asked, awe evident in her voice.
I snorted. “There aren’t many people I’d be willing to go up against your father for, but you’re definitely one of the only ones.”
SOPHIA
My lips curved, and even the cut on my lip didn’t stop me from throwing myself into Haggard’s arms.
He caught me with a whispered hiss and even laughed when the seat belt stopped me from moving too far into his arms.
He held me awkwardly—the seat belt and my bruises stopping him from doing anything more at that point in time—but it was one of the best hugs I’d ever gotten.
“Now,” he said, running his fingers through my hair. “As for your dad, and his attitude as of late… I don’t know what the hell is going on with him. I’d like to say he’d grow out of it, or figure his shit out, but it’s been damn near a year now, and I’m not sure he’s going to be able to do it on his own at this point.”
I agreed wholeheartedly.
Even more, I’d already made him plenty of appointments that he’d conveniently got ‘calls’ during and had to leave. If he even showed up at all.
He’d canceled so many freakin’ times that they now charged me for the appointments, so if he canceled, they weren’t wasting their appointment times.
It was painfully obvious at this point that my dad needed help.
I just didn’t see how that was going to happen since he was so freakin’ stubborn.
“I’ve tried,” I admitted. “He doesn’t go.”
Haggard grumbled something under his breath, then let me go.
When I was back in my seat most of the way, he caught my face in his hands, and then wiped my scraped, bruised, and raw in places face free of my salty tears.
Once he had me dried off as best he could, he studied my face.
My heartbeat picked up when his eyes met mine, and a new sort of feeling started to invade my stomach when I watched his eyes drag down to my lips.
“Will it hurt if I kiss you?” he asked.
I shook my head.
I didn’t care if my split lip burst open and never stopped bleeding.