Chapter 45
Miranda
I’ve never been more terrified than I am right now as Hayden speeds down the country roads toward the hospital.
He ended the call as soon as my mother said they were at the hospital.
We threw on clothes and ran out the door without a word or a second thought.
And without our phones. My only focus was on getting to Sierra when I picked up my purse, and I didn’t bother making sure I had everything.
“I’m sure she’s okay,” I say as I give his jean-clad thigh a supportive squeeze.
He says nothing but covers my hand with his as he continues down the road. My eyes burn with tears, but I keep them at bay. I need to be strong for Hayden because I know he’s hanging on by a thread. Guilt is practically radiating off him, and I know he thinks this is his fault.
He barely gets the truck in park in front of the emergency entrance before we both leap out and rush to the doors.
“Sierra Johnson,” he barks to the poor receptionist at the front desk.
Seemingly unfazed, she gives him a bored appraisal. “Are you family?”
“Yes. I’m her dad.” His voice comes out choked, and I take his hand in mine.
I will do whatever I can to take some of his pain away. In my heart, I believe Sierra is okay, but until we know for sure, there’s no escaping the panic that looms over us.
“Emergency department. Room six.”
The words are barely out of her mouth before we disappear down the long corridor, following the red arrows marked “Emergency”. As soon as we round the corner, I spot my dad standing outside the door, and for the first time, cold panic truly grips my heart.
“Dad?”
Relief crosses his expression as he steps forward, giving us both a kind smile. “I’ve been trying to reach you both. Good grief. She’s fine. Melanie is just inside, helping her get dressed.”
Hayden sags against the wall and lets out an audible sigh of relief. “Jesus. I thought—”
I run my free hand up and down Hayden’s arm while continuing to grip it with the other.
My dad steps closer and pats Hayden on his shoulder.
“You hung up before Melanie could finish her sentence. And then neither of you answered your phones. She has a broken wrist, but it doesn’t need surgery, and she should be out of the cast in six weeks. ”
“Oh, thank God,” I breathe. “Hayden heard ‘hospital’, and we literally dropped everything to get here. I grabbed my purse at least but didn’t realize my phone wasn’t inside.”
I don’t mention why I have no idea where my phone is.
Or explain that Hayden tossed his phone aside so we could throw our clothes on to rush out the door.
The way my dad looks between the two of us, I get the feeling he can guess what took him so long to answer the phone.
And why we’re so out of sorts. My face heats under his scrutiny, and I’m desperate to return the attention back to Sierra.
“Can we go in?” I ask.
Apparently hearing the commotion, my mother pulls the curtains open and rushes over to hug Hayden and then me.
“She’s fine. She’s okay. I should have started the call telling you that.
I’m sorry. We couldn’t get a hold of you right away, and there’s not much signal between our house and here.
When you answered, they were already checking her over to make sure it was just her arm.
It is. She’s dressed and we’re just waiting on discharge papers, if you want to go in. ”
“You go on in, Hayden,” I urge. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
I do my best to ignore my mother’s smirk. “She’s really okay? How long have you guys been here? We got here as fast as we could…”
“Well, we called as soon as it happened, but when no one answered, we didn’t wait around to get her to the hospital. They got her right in, so we didn’t get a chance to call until the doctor left the room, and that’s when Hayden picked up. I guess you guys were—busy.”
My cheeks are flaming as I look anywhere but toward my dad.
My hair is still slightly damp, so I’m sure it’s pretty obvious why we didn’t hear the phone.
The fact that Sierra was with my parents and not some strangers is the only thing keeping me from feeling like absolute shit over this.
Accidents happen. She was with responsible adults. And she’s fine.
“I’m going to go in and check on her,” I say, my face still feeling like it’s on fire.
When I step around the curtain, I’m struck by the sight of Hayden looking like a worried father as he sits in the chair beside the bed, absently scrubbing a hand over his beard. As my parents said, Sierra appears to be fine. She’s not even letting the splint get in the way of her scrolling.
Hayden’s eyes meet mine, and he gives me a fragile smile. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I say gently before I make my way over to the bed and direct my attention to Sierra. “And hey, you. Are you okay? Are you in pain?”
Sierra gives me a relieved smile, like she was worried I wouldn’t be here. “Nah, it’s not bad. Just sucks I won’t be able to do anything until this cast comes off. Guess I’ll be out of your way for a while.”
“Out of my way? Are you sure they checked your head?”
Sierra laughs, and the sound soothes away my uneasiness. “My head is fine. And I’m glad you’re here.”
My heart melting, I blink my eyes when they begin to sting for what feels like way too many times in one day. I will not cry. Not again. Hayden’s hand finds mine, and when he gives it a tug, I take the seat beside him, allowing him to pull me close.
“Sierra, how would you feel about Miranda being here all the time? Well, not here, but with us.”
I whip my head around to look at him. When he said he was going to talk to her about it, I didn’t think he meant immediately.
And I didn’t know he meant with me present.
When I turn back to face Sierra, I find her watching us with the biggest smile I have ever seen.
Her eyes are lit up like it’s Christmas, and I lose the battle over my tears.
“I’m not five. I know what couples do. You can move your girlfriend in without making it weird.”
I snort out a laugh. This kid. She somehow has an innocence about her while also being wise beyond her years.
“I’m not talking about moving my girlfriend in. I’m talking about doing things the old-fashioned way, and moving my wife in.”
I stop breathing. I can’t move. For a moment, I think I might cease to exist. I somehow manage to face Hayden, but when I open my mouth to speak, I only utter one whispered word. “What?”
“This isn’t how I planned to do this. Hell, I haven’t even come up with a plan yet, but I don’t want to waste another minute.
I want you with me all the time. I want to have coffee with you every morning.
I want you with me when I go to sleep every night…
” He stands from his chair and guides me to do the same before dropping to one knee.
“I love you. I’ve probably loved you from the moment I saw you.
That phone call reminded me how quickly things can change, and it’s silly to wait when I already know we’re meant to be a family. Will you marry me?”
Tears stream freely down my face as I nod enthusiastically.
I’m vaguely aware of Sierra’s excited squeal behind me as I struggle to keep from floating away.
Hayden was willing to let me go off on my own and explore life, even though his feelings were this strong.
He loves me for me, while I pushed him away.
This overpowering love I’ve been trying to fight wasn’t one-sided after all.
When my vision comes into focus, I realize Hayden is still on one knee because I haven’t actually answered his question. I manage another whispered word. “Yes.”
He’s on his feet and kissing me before I can blink. Cupping my face in both hands, he presses his lips to mine, only lingering for a moment before pulling away to rest his forehead against mine. It’s an act I’ve grown used to, but it will never get old.
“I love you,” he says quietly.
“I love you more,” I reply with a shy smile.
“Not possible.”
“Gross, get a room,” Sierra says, her teasing voice just loud enough to break the spell.
Laughing, I step back just in time for my parents to come rushing in. My dad has that face he gets when he’s trying his best, and failing, to play dumb, but the grin on my mother’s face as she dabs at a tear tells me all I need to know. They heard everything.
“What’s all the commotion?” my dad asks in a booming voice.
“Oh, Roger, shut up.” My mom swats at my dad before returning her attention to me. “Honey. My baby. You’re getting married? I’m so happy for you!”
Shifting on his feet, Hayden gives my dad an apologetic smile before shaking his hand. “I didn’t plan to do this here. Or for you all to hear it. I should have asked you-”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I gave you my blessing when I found out you were seeing Miranda. She’s a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions. I trust she knows what’s right for her. If she wants to marry you, I couldn’t be happier for you both.”
Just when I thought I was out of tears, fresh ones appear and stream down my already wet cheeks.
I needed to hear those words. All these years, I assumed he didn’t trust me as an adult.
When he would step in and do things like insist Hayden tag along on my trip to haul horses…
He wasn’t taking over or second-guessing me.
And I think deep down, I knew that. But hearing the words is the last piece in the puzzle, making me even more certain that I made the right decision to stay.
That a life with Hayden and Sierra should be the thing I do for myself.