Pretty Lies & Ugly Truths (Ugly Truths #1)

28. Archer

28

Archer

“ A ny update?” Jayce’s voice cuts through the beeping of the bedside monitor. He’s standing in the doorway of the hospital room that has been my home for the past three days.

“No.” I shake my head, looking to where Maggie lays motionless, her tiny frame engulfed in the oversized hospital bed.

She’d lost a lot of blood by the time we arrived at the hospital. Luckily, it was a clean shot, the bullet going straight through, missing all the major vital organs. She was in surgery for several hours, and they were some of the longest moments of my life.

I felt so helpless, waiting to see if she would live or die. It was as if waiting to see if my own heart would keep beating. I barely survived my sister’s death. I know I wouldn’t have survived Maggie’s.

Fortunately, the surgery went well. She is now breathing on her own and has come off most of the machines, but she still won’t wake up.

The doctors keep reassuring me that with an injury such as hers, it’s normal, but nothing about this feels normal. Her face is too pale. Her body is too still. It’s like all that fire and light that normally shines through her has been extinguished.

I’m haunted by memories of her green eyes, so full of love as she told me she was sorry. That she loved me. As if any of this was her fault. If anyone is to blame, it’s me. I should have been able to protect her. I should have been able to stop it. It was my responsibility to keep her safe, and I failed.

What kind of man can’t even keep the woman he loves from harm’s way? Because I do—love her.

I’ve said all along that I’m not good for her, and this just further proves it. She will be better off once I’m out of her life.

“You better stop that shit right now,” Jayce’s gruff voice cuts through the silence.

I look up, taken aback by his furious expression but honestly too numb to care.

“I know what you’re thinking, and you better knock it the fuck off. You are no more at fault for this than you were for Celia’s death.”

As always, my brother sees too much, but as always, he’s wrong.

Too exhausted to fight with him, I say, “It may not have been my fault—but once again, I was unable to keep someone I loved safe. I couldn’t protect her. She deserves better.”

He narrows his eyes, and it feels as if he is looking straight through to my soul.

“You’re gonna run,” he says, disgust and disappointment evident by his scathing tone.

Taking my silence as confirmation, he reaches up, pinching the bridge of his nose before he rears back and punches me straight in the jaw.

“What the fuck, Jayce!” I exclaim, my hand coming up to cup my face as I stare at him in shock. Though we may argue from time to time, my brother has never hit me before, not in anger. And right now, he is so angry, he looks like he wants to do it again.

“Look—you’re my brother, and you know I love you, but God, you can be so fucking stupid sometimes. That girl right there loves you. She stabbed her own father, for Christ sake, risked her very life to keep you from being hurt, or worse. She saw something in you worth saving, and that’s how you plan to repay her. By what—leaving?”

“I don’t know!” I yell, raking my hands through my hair, pulling at the roots to the point of pain.

I don’t understand what she sees in me, what they all see in me. I’m a fucking monster; even my own mother can see it, so why can’t they?

“I just… I don’t want to see her hurt again,” I murmur. “Trust me it’s better this way.”

“Don’t give me your self-righteous bullshit. If you don’t want to see her hurt again, then don’t be the one to hurt her. ”

His hand comes down on my shoulder. “I would kill for what you’ve found, you know? Don’t take it for granted.”

And with those parting words, he walks away, leaving me alone again with nothing but my thoughts.

My brother has always seen something in me I haven’t, and I’m not sure if I ever will. My soul’s too black, too tainted, from all the wrongs I’ve done.

I may never understand why someone as good and as pure as Maggie would choose me of all people, but he’s right, it’s clear she did. She didn’t even hesitate. She knowingly put herself at risk to save my life , and that’s exactly why I should leave.

But when I think about her waking up alone and hurting, I know I could never do that to her. I cannot leave her to deal with this on her own.

There is no world, no future for me without her in it. She may deserve better, but for as long as she wants me, I will be hers. If only she would just wake up.

I take my place back at the chair closest to the bed, resting my head on the mattress. I have not left the hospital since Maggie was brought in, wanting to be here when she finally woke. Sleep has been almost nonexistent for me lately. I just need to shut my eyes for a moment.

Fingers run through my hair as short nails graze across my scalp. I moan as I fight to stay asleep, wanting to remain in this sweet dream as long as possible. My nose brushes across the silky-smooth skin of Maggie’s stomach as I kiss a path all the way down to?—

Feminine laughter startles me awake .

“That good, huh?”

My head jerks upright, heart leaping into my throat—Maggie’s awake.

“Archer?” she asks, brows pinched when I don’t say anything, and my God, it’s so good to hear her voice. My eyes burn as a wave of emotion clogs my throat, making it impossible to speak.

As if knowing what I need, she pulls the covers back, sliding over to one side.

“Come here.” She pats the space beside her.

I kick off my shoes, crawling into the hospital bed with her. It’s a tight fit, but I don’t mind. The need to hold her too strong, to know she’s truly alive and well and whole.

“What happened?” she asks, and I recount the events from that night.

“How long have I been out?”

“Three days,” I tell her, and her eyes widen. She rubs at the thick stubble that lines my jaw.

“Have you left at all?” I shake my head.

“Baby—you’ve got to take care of yourself. You need to shower, sleep.”

“I will. I just… I couldn’t leave you.” She nods, and we fall into a comfortable silence.

“My mother?” she finally asks.

“She’s ok. She made it out.”

“Good… That’s good,” she says flatly. “Is it wrong I don’t feel sad—about my father, I mean? I feel like I should be upset or something, but it’s not like I really knew him, and he didn’t seem like he was a good person. ”

“No, baby—I don’t think it’s wrong. Your father was an asshole.”

She looks away, nodding.

“I am glad about my mom though. Maybe now, she can finally find some peace.”

There is a knock at the door, the doctor coming in to check on Maggie. I excuse myself, getting up out of the bed, to allow him to do his exam.

As soon as he’s finished, Jane arrives, and I decide to leave the room to give them some privacy, knowing they have a lot to catch up on.

Maggie’s hand snakes out latching on to mine. “You’re not leaving, are you?” The tremor in her voice strikes a pang in my chest. To think, I actually considered walking away.

Bending down I place a kiss on her forehead. “No, Little Rose. I’ll be right outside.” The sheer relief on her face is a balm to my tarnished soul. I am undeserving of her in every way, but when she looks at me like that, she makes me want to be someone better. Someone worthy.

I step out to give them some time alone, only to run into the one person I never expected to have to face again—my mother.

I keep my head down, looking towards the floor as I try to blend into the wall, hoping to go unnoticed, but of course I’m not that lucky.

“Archer?”

“Hey Mom,” I say, looking up into cerulean eyes I haven’t seen in years. The last time I saw them was when she blamed me for the death of her daughter, the night she called me a monster and told me she wished it had been me instead—something I never told Jayce.

I step to the side allowing her to pass, only she doesn’t move. My stomach tangles in knots, my breaths becoming shallow. Please…not today. Not here. After everything I have been through these last few days, I don’t think I could handle her anger or judgment. Not now.

She swallows hard, her hands fisted at her side. I stand stock still, waiting for whatever harsh words she plans to hurl at me this time, determined to let her speak her peace if that’s what she needs.

I’m not at all prepared, however, for what comes out of her mouth.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, the words coming out so soft, I’m almost sure I imagined them. But then, she looks up at me with tear filled eyes. “I’m sorry—Oh God, Archer…I’m so, so sorry.”

Her body sags as she chokes on a sob, and it feels as if my heart has been ripped from my chest. Her legs buckle, and my arms reach out to catch her slight frame.

“Hey—mom. It’s ok. Shh… Really, it’s alright,” I say, smoothing small circles on her back. She clings to me, her face buried in my shirt as she weeps. We stay like that in the hall until her tears slow.

“No. It’s not. It’s not ok.” She lets go, wiping her eyes furiously with the back of her hands.

“Mom, I—” She holds up her hand, cutting me off.

“No. Please, let me get this out.” I nod. “What happened to your sister was not your fault. I never should have blamed you for that. When I think about… Oh God, the awful things I said to you,” she says, her voice cracking. “What kind of mother says those things about their own child?”

“It’s fine. Really. You were hurting. We all were,” I tell her honestly.

I’ve tried not to hold what she said against her. I know she was grieving, but I won’t lie and say that those words haven’t torn me up inside, that they haven’t play a crucial role in how I’ve handled things since Cecelia’s passing.

“That’s no excuse. I was horrible to you. How could you ever forgive me?” she asks me.

As I gaze upon her tear-stained face, noticing a few more lines and wrinkles than the last time I saw her, I can’t help but think of all the wasted years, all the time we spent not speaking to one another. I know Cecelia would hate to see us this way.

Yes, what she said hurt me, but I can’t change the past. Maybe now, however, with her absolution, we can find a way to move forward.

“Mom…there’s nothing to forgive,” I say and mean it.

I look through the glass to see Maggie and Jane still deep in conversation, so I follow Mom down to the hospital cafeteria for coffee.

We take a seat at one of the round tables, using this opportunity to catch up on one another’s lives. It starts out a little choppy at first, but soon, we’re talking freely, and although it’s nice to be able to have this moment with her, there is this undercurrent of tension that wasn’t there before. I don’t know if our relationship will ever be the same as it once was, but I’m certainly willing to try, knowing it’s what Cecelia would want.

She walks me back up to the third floor where Maggie’s room is, and I ask her who she was there to see. As it turns out, she came here for me. Apparently, Jayce, the meddling bastard, told her I was here.

I offer to bring Maggie by the house once she is released, extending an olive branch of sorts.

“I would love that, Archer.” She beams, wrapping her arms around me briefly, engulfing me in her rosewater scent before she turns and leaves.

I watch as she gets on the elevator before turning to see Easton lurking just outside Maggie’s door.

“Hey,” I greet, and he looks up, hands stuffed in his pockets.

“I just wanted to stop by, see how you were doing. Jayce told me she was awake now.”

“Yeah. She is.”

“Good. That’s good. I'm glad it all worked out, that you were able to get her back,” he says, rocking back on his heels. “I guess I’ll…just be going now,” he says, before he turns to walk away.

“Hey Easton!” I call out before he gets too far. “Thank you. As much as it pains me to admit this, I’m not sure we could have done it without you. I owe you one.”

The corners of his lips twitch before his face takes on a serious expression I can’t quite read. “Consider us even. ”

With that he turns and walks away.

I’m loathe to admit that Beckham was right to get him involved. As it turns out my half-brother isn’t as squeaky clean as he likes to pretend. He was able to put us in contact with a rival family who was more than happy to help us take down the McGregor empire.

They are probably just as corrupt. It's like replacing one evil with another, but they can tear themselves apart for all I care, just as long as I got my Little Rose back.

Opening the door, I notice Jane is now gone, and Maggie is asleep. Her scarlet hair is fanned out on the crisp white sheets, the smattering of freckles dancing across her nose and cheeks standing out in stark contrast to her porcelain skin. But even in a loose hospital gown, face clean of any make-up or adornments, she is still the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on.

I take my place back in the chair that I have now deemed mine. It’s uncomfortable as fuck, but I would rather be here, perched on this hard plastic, than anywhere else in the world.

Her lashes flutter open when I take her hand in mine.

“Hey,” she whispers.

“Hey,” I say, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear before stroking her cheek, my chest tightening when she leans further into my touch. It blows my mind that even after knowing what these hands are capable of, she still allows them to touch her skin.

“Baby—you need sleep,” she says when my eyes start to droop. I haven’t had more than a few hours of sleep at a time since she was taken. My body feels completely drained, and I would love nothing more than to climb into a soft bed and sleep for the next few days, but I’ll be damned if I’m going anywhere without Maggie by my side.

“I’m not leaving here until you do,” I tell her.

“Then at least come back and lay with me,” she offers.

She doesn’t have to ask me twice. I climb into the bed, mindful of her injuries. My large frame takes up far too much space to be comfortable, the bed rails digging into my spine, but I don’t mind. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

We lay there, face to face, our hands intertwined between us.

“You know, I didn’t think I was meant to have this. I always assumed I was destined to be alone. That after what happened with my sister, I didn’t deserve this kind of happiness.” I cup her jaw, running the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip.

“You were never supposed to be mine. That night when I first saw you, my only intention was to help you, protect you, to keep you safe. I wasn’t supposed to actually keep you . You are far too good for someone like me.” She opens her mouth as if to protest, but I silence her with a kiss.

“I was never supposed to fall for you, but I did. Hard. And now, I don’t ever wanna let you go.” The little lines between her brows smooth out and she gives me a small, sweet smile .

“Then don’t,” she breathes into the space between us before leaning in, ghosting a soft kiss over my lips. I return the kiss long and deep until my eyes grow heavy and I fall into the most peaceful sleep I’ve had in years.