16. Beau #2
I didn’t have to say another word. She curled in on her side, her face resting against my arm as her nails dug into the fleshy part just above my elbow.
Her tears stung my skin. Searing hot, filled with all the anguish of what she’d been through.
Then my own tears fell, hating that I wasn’t there to keep her safe.
That I hadn’t made it to her in time to stop the horrible things that he’d done.
Slowly, her breaths evened out, and her grip on me loosened.
I pressed my lips against the top of her head. “Feeling better?”
“Yes. Thank you,” she whispered, letting her head rest back on my shoulder as I wrapped my arms around her waist.
“You don’t have to thank me…”
“I do. You knew something was wrong, and you came for me. You scooped me up in your arms and you never let me go. You reminded me that no matter what, I’ll be okay. Because I’m safe when I’m with you.”
My head felt like it was stuffed with cotton as I nodded, unable to get any words past the sore lump in my throat.
Someone went into her home. Some pathetic excuse for a man put his hands on my girl. And I didn’t even fucking know. I wasn’t there to keep her safe. I wasn’t there to protect her.
I needed to figure out which ranch hand was about to get a promotion. Because I couldn’t—I fucking wouldn’t—leave her now.
Birdie twitched, her face not pulled in pain per se, but the space between her eyebrows tightened. My hand moved as quietly as it could, not wanting to wake her, so my thumb could ease the tension in that spot.
Was it just a random home invasion? Someone who stumbled on a woman coming home to a dark house, and just barged in?
My stomach rolled. The image of that fucking hole in the wall was seared into every last neuron in my brain.
Her beautiful head, the one laying against me now, had been shoved so hard by some fucking criminal that it left a goddamn hole in the wall.
He’d left bruises on her neck. The same one I stared at in the summertime when she and I would spend hours at the springs.
The spot near her collarbone, slightly hollow, would catch the water dripping off her hair and God, all those times I just wanted to press my lips against it.
This was all my fault. We’d become more to each other, which was everything I wanted. But I wasn’t doing my part in the relationship. I wasn’t there to protect her.
The chat I had with my siblings lit up the screen of my phone.
Jessie: Beau!! How is Birdie!? Do you need me to bring anything over?
She’s sleeping. I’m fighting with her about taking the pain medicine they sent us home with. She needs it. I don’t want her to be in pain.
Violet: Try to stay on top of it. I was stubborn when it came to the meds after my c-section, but recovery really is easier when you stay on top of the pain.
Colt: It’s a good thing Beau is just about as stubborn as I am.
Violet: Yeah, if all else fails, I guess growl at her? It works for Colt every time.
Good to know. I’ll tell her you both are on my side. Jess, how’s Juniper?
Jessie: She’s just the best. Giving me baby fever like Connor does. She’s honestly been a dream today, and I’m happy to keep her overnight to help out. You just get Birdie on the mend.
Hayes: Colt, did you find anything out?
Colt: Not anything I can share.
Let me know when they’re done with everything there. I don’t want her worrying about anything, so I’ll need help getting over there to pack her things up.
Hayes: Birdie’s as tough as they come. She’ll be okay.
Lachlan: Pack her things up?
She’s not going back to that fucking house. Ever. Her home is here on the ranch, and I should have made sure that was clear to her years ago.
And I know she’s tough, Hayes, but she shouldn’t have to be.
Jessie: Does she know about this? Or are you being a macho dick and telling her how things are going to be?
Can your husband hop on this chat?
Jessie: Excuse me? I’m the only one here protecting Birdie’s autonomy.
She’ll be just fine. I’m making sure of that. Hawk, do you think Gunner or Gage would be up to help us move some of her stuff out here?
Hawk: Yeah, I can coordinate some support. We’ll get it figured out.
Jessie: Don’t help him! We don’t know if this is what she wants!
Hawk: How about you come downstairs and we argue about it in the sun room, pretty girl?
Lachlan: Gross. I’m leaving this chat.
Colt: I’ll just add you back.
My eyes dropped away from my phone as Birdie twitched. One look at her face, and I knew she was deep in a dream.
Her breath caught, her body suddenly went stiff in my arms. And then the saddest sound I’d ever heard in my life escaped from between her rose-petal, pink lips.
A garbled plea, drenched in fear, bubbled up into a scream.
Her body thrashed, and I did the only thing I could think of to keep her from hurting herself more. I held on tighter.
“Birdie, wake up. It’s just a bad dream.
I’m right here, Chickadee. Come back to me.
Come back,” I continued to whisper the words, encouraging her mind to release her from the terrors of whatever was playing in her mind.
I fucking knew exactly what it was, but maybe this time, just maybe, I could save her.
Her eyes popped open with a gasp, followed by a groan.
“Hey, you’re okay. You’re okay.”
“Beau?”
“I’m right here. I haven’t moved an inch since you fell asleep. You’re back in my bed, and you’re safe.”
“I’m safe.” Her body sagged back into mine, relief surging through me that her own body recognized she wasn’t in danger.
“You’re safe,” I repeated.
Her chin wobbled, a tear pressing out as she shut her eyes tightly, her grip on my shirt still punishing.
“I’m sorry. I hate that I’m falling apart like this.”
“Who wouldn’t? This is a perfectly normal response to something horrific happening to you. You don’t have to hold it all in to be strong for me.”
“I do.” Her voice was so quiet I barely heard the words. “I’m the caretaker, Beau. I don’t like feeling like this.”
“Like what, baby?”
“Weak. Needy.”
“You aren’t those things. You’re strong. I’m fucking furious that this happened. I look at that bruise growing deeper on your neck, and I want to burn this whole world down.”
“No—”
“Yes. Everyone who ever even looked at you with something less than pure love is on my shit-list, Chickadee. I keep running over and over again in my mind the million and one ways I could kill this fucker for hurting you.”
Her hand patted my chest. “No murder on my account. I need you here with me, not sitting in jail. I trust that the sheriff’s department will figure it out and we can just move on—”
“If Colt knows what’s good for him, he’ll tell me the fucker’s name and help me dig the hole…”
“Stop it,” she chuckled. That was good. Laughter was the best medicine, wasn’t that the saying? “You know Colt would never—”
“I’ve got the perfect spot out in the west pasture. It gets boggy in the rainy season, but we’ve got time…”
“No. Murders.”
I rolled my eyes dramatically. “Fine. Let’s talk about where on the ranch would make a good place to get married.”
She stilled beneath my touch.
“Beau…” My name danced in the air. Her voice was sleepy, her body slowly relaxing against mine. “Who’s getting married here?” Her adorable yawn filled the bedroom.
I chuckled, dropping my voice to a whisper. “Us, of course.”
“We are? That’s news to me.” She smiled as her eyes drifted shut.
“Don’t think for a goddamn second that I don’t see us going the whole way. A wedding, with Connor and Beckett as the ring bearers and Juniper as the flower girl. I keep thinking of Stone and Mae’s wedding. Maybe you’ll be pregnant by, ours, too.”
But there wasn’t a reply. Because my beautiful little bird had fallen back asleep, safe and warm in my arms.