I grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. “Shh…baby, it’s okay. Please don’t be upset. You need to relax and try not to get stressed out, okay? Just take a deep breath and blow it out. You couldn’t have known he would do something like that.”

She quickly wiped away her tears.

I reached for a Kleenex and wiped her nose. “I’m practicing. Ari said I’m going to have to wipe a lot of runny noses,” I said with a wink.

She let out a giggle and shook her head. “Where am I?”

“Brackenridge, but I think they said you could go home tomorrow if you felt good and got some fluids in you.”

“Tomorrow? Oh, I want to go home now, Scott. Can’t I go home now?” she said in that cute whiny voice that drove me mad with love.

There was a small knock on the door, and it slowly opened. I turned to see Azurdee and Lark both walking in.

“How are you feeling, honey?” Azurdee asked with a smile.

“I’m okay…just really sore,” Jessie said.

Azurdee walked to the other side of the bed and took Jessie’s other hand. I glanced up at Lark and shook my head, letting Lark know Jessie didn’t know about Trey yet.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Jessie,” Lark said.

Jessie flashed that smile of hers at him, and I knew what was about to come.

“So, now, are you going to tell us what you do? Because I would love to know how in the hell you caught up to us like that. How did you know where we were?”

Lark shrugged his shoulders. “I just needed the license plate number, and after one phone call to a friend at the Department of Public Safety to check the traffic cameras, bam, there ya go.”

“I’m never going to get it out of you, am I?” Jessie asked.

I peeked over at Azurdee, who was looking at Lark.

“Nope. Nothing really to tell,” Lark said as he quickly looked at Azurdee and then back at Jessie before he turned and sat down.

“We just wanted to make sure you were okay before Lark and I took off. We left all our stuff back in Mason,” Azurdee said as she pushed a piece of Jessie’s hair behind her ear.

Jessie tried to sit up, but she stopped when she realized how sore she really was. “Oh no. I’m so sorry y’all have to drive back to Mason and then turn around and come back to Austin.”

“No big deal, honey. It just gives me more time to grill Mr. Tight Lips here,” Azurdee said as she gestured toward Lark.

Jessie let out a small laugh and then looked back at me. Her smile faded a bit as she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Is Trey okay? Did they arrest him?” she asked.

I looked up at Azurdee and then quickly back at Jessie. “Baby, um…Trey died in the car accident. He broke his neck and died instantly,” I said.

I watched the tears build in her eyes before she closed them.

“So stupid. Oh my god. If I had just waited for you, none of this would have happened, and…and…maybe you could have just talked him into leaving, and he would…” Jessie began crying.

Azurdee said, “No, Jessica, this is not your fault. You had no idea that Trey would do something like this. You can’t sit here and play what-if. It doesn’t do anybody any good. What happened, happened. There is nothing you can do about it.”

Jessie looked at me, and my heart broke at the hurt I saw in her eyes.

“I’m so sorry that I didn’t listen to you, Scott. I’m so sorry I didn’t just wait for you.”

She began sobbing, so I crawled onto the bed and took her in my arms. I saw Azurdee wipe a tear away from Jessie’s face. I closed my eyes and just held the woman I loved more than the air I breathed.

Once she finally stopped crying, I gently laid her back down and kissed her lips. I whispered, “I love you, Jessie. I love you so much.”

She looked into my eyes, and I had to catch my breath.

“Scott,” she whispered, “I love you so much, and I don’t deserve your love after the stupid shit I’ve done.”

I laughed and kissed her nose. “Get some rest, baby. I’m going to walk Lark and Azurdee out.”

I got up as I looked over at Lark and winked.

Azurdee gave Jessie a hug and kissed her on the cheek. “Call me if you need anything. I’m just a couple of hours away.”

Jessie smiled. “Okay, will do. Thank you so much, Azurdee, for coming to visit and for all the yummy food. The baby is going to miss your French toast.”

Lark laughed. “Shit, I already miss it!”

I walked Lark and Azurdee outside. I shook Lark’s hand, and then I hugged and kissed Azurdee.

“Lark, I don’t even know how to thank you, dude,” I said.

“I’m just glad that we were able to catch up to them and that Jessie is okay. That wreck scared the shit out of me. It’s a miracle that she’s just sore and didn’t get hurt.”

I nodded my head and looked at Azurdee. “She’s going to miss you.”

She grinned. “I’ll come visit more often. The coffee shop just keeps me so busy, but I want to help with the baby’s room and the wedding,” she said with a wink.

“Sounds like a plan.”

“You’re sure that y’all got a ride home tomorrow?” Lark asked.

I nodded my head. “Yep. My parents are already in Austin. They were on their way to the hospital earlier, so they should be here any minute.”

“Alright. I’ll be out of town for a bit, but you know how to get a hold of me if you need me, right?”

I laughed. “Yeah, I know. Thanks, Lark, for everything. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Later, dude.”

I watched as Lark and Azurdee walked into the parking garage. I smiled, wondering how the two of them were going to get along by themselves during the drive back to Mason. Lark would never admit it, but I knew he liked Azurdee.

I turned and headed back into the hospital. When I walked into Jessie’s room, she was sleeping peacefully. I quietly sat down and watched her sleep as I said a silent prayer, thanking God that Jessie and the baby were okay. I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes as I thought about Trey. I thought about his family and how devastated they would be about his death.

Senseless…it was all just so senseless.

I felt myself drifting off into sleep. Images of Jessie standing before me with her hands on her swollen belly filled my body with a warm sensation.

I will always love, cherish, and protect them both until the day I die. Always.

I watched as Alex walked up ahead of me and stopped every five minutes to bend down and look at either an ant or a flower. I smiled, thinking how she was about to become a big sister to Colt. The moment I’d found out I was having a son, I’d wanted to shout for joy.

Alex watched a butterfly as she sat down on the ground and laughed. My heart couldn’t be filled with any more love right now. I looked over toward the garden and saw a very pregnant Ellie with Grams. Ellie took to country life like she had grown up on a ranch her whole life.

It was May seventh, and Ellie was four days past her due date. I knew she was miserable as hell in this heat. She glanced over and smiled at Alex, and then our eyes met. My heart melted every time this girl looked at me with that smile. I would never get tired of seeing her look at me with so much love.

Alex squealed as Brian, Ellie’s father, came walking up to her. He bent down, picked her up, and spun her around. I noticed Ellie as she watched her father playing with our daughter.

Brian had been battling lung cancer, and things finally seemed to be going well with him. His health was improving more and more every day, and Jeff, Ellie, and Sharon were well on their way to healing completely. Brian had retired from his position of CEO of his company, and he’d bought a little house in Mason. At first, Ellie had felt upset about it since her mother and Philip had just moved here. She had been terrified that her mother would slip into old habits, but when Sharon and Philip got married on Valentine’s Day, that had put all of Ellie’s fears to rest.