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  She looked just as Matilda did when he saw her lifeless body in the morgue.

  It was horrible, and just as before, Tate found the nearest trashcan which was in the hall and he vomited all of the disgusting jail food they had given him only hours ago. He couldn’t do it all over again; he couldn’t lose someone else who was his world. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he washed his hands at the nearest sink and then went back into Audrey’s room, rushing to the bed to hold her hand.

  Tate pressed his lips to her knuckles, feeling her warm skin under his lips. Tate’s tears wouldn’t stop as they ran down his cheeks, landing on her bed. He grabbed her hand and moved it to his cheek. With a shaking hand he placed his on top of their child. Looking up at her face, he bit down hard on his lip as he willed himself not to scream out in pain. Leaning over, he gently kissed her forehead before leaning in close and saying, “Baby, please, I need you to come out of this. I need you to wake up, look at me and tell me you love me as much as I love you, love. I need you to tell me we’re pregnant and when you are due. I need you to tell me what you want, a boy or a girl because we never discussed that. I want a girl, someone as beautiful as you with my humor, or maybe your humor because I think you are funnier than I am. I need to know, baby. I can’t do this world, this place without you. I need you, please, please, come out of this. Please. I love you. I do, Audrey, so fucking much. I love you. I hope you can hear me and know that. I do. I do, so much.”

  His tears splashed along her skin as his heart broke into billions of pieces. He didn’t simply want her anymore. He needed her. He needed her smile, her laugh, her commentary during their shows. He needed to taste every cupcake she created. He needed to taste her lips after a long day on the ice or after a long road trip away from her. He needed to feel her naked scrumptious body against his every single day. He needed to make her his wife. He needed her to grow their baby, so that he could help her nurture it when she brought it into the world. He needed her to know he was going to love her with his whole being, every day, for the rest of their lives. He needed her to know, he was her Prince Charming and she was his gorgeous Cinderella. That they will live their Happily Ever After.

  He needed her.

  Laying her hands back down, he sat back into the chair, and watched as her chest rose and fell with the sounds from the ventilator. Running his fingers through his hair, he gripped the strands, welcoming the pain while feeling like his world was ending.

  “Sir, are you staying with her through the night?”

  Tate looked up at the doctor and shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know, did you ask her family?”

  The doctor nodded as he said, “They said to ask if you wanted to.”

  Tate wanted to run to Nora, William and Fallon and wrap his arms around them and thank them. They had given him the ultimate gift because he wasn’t sure how he was ever going to leave her.

  Nodding his head, Tate said, “Yes, I need to stay.”

  Chapter 28

  Fallon stood in front of a pair of windows, looking out onto the Nashville skyline. It was so beautiful, and so sparkly as people lived their lives, not a care in the world, while Fallon’s heart slowly broke from the pain of having no answers about her sister. It was close to midnight and the doctors expected some kind of change by now, but there wasn’t any. Clutching her neck, Fallon’s phone sat loosely in her other hand. She had called Susie to check on Aiden, and to ask her to keep him through the night until tomorrow when they knew some more answers. Thankfully for her, Susie was on vacation from her job and had no problems helping them out.

  Tears pooled in Fallon’s eyes as she thought how to tell Aiden about Audrey. He wouldn’t understand, and it killed her to think how scared he was going to be. Audrey was his world, as she was Fallon’s. How would any of them survive if she didn’t make it? When she felt and saw a pair of strong, tattooed arms come around her waist, she crumbled against Lucas, holding onto him as the life jacket she needed.

  “Baby girl, everything is going to be okay,” he whispered against her neck.

  “I’m so scared, Lucas, so fucking scared,” she cried as his grip on her tightened.

  “I know, baby,” he said, kissing her softly on her neck, “Audrey wouldn’t want you to cry like this, she’d tell you not to worry.”

  “I know but she’s just gonna have to accept my tears. I am worried shit about her.”

  Lucas nodded as he kissed her again and said, “Me too.” They stayed wrapped up in each other’s arms for a long time. Fallon turned, hugging Lucas’ neck as he held her waist, leaning against each other for support. Her heart was pounding against her chest and she knew she needed to tell him about their baby. She couldn’t wait, even if it was the worst time in the world, she had to tell him. At any moment, everything could end. Audrey hadn’t gotten the chance to tell Tate and Fallon couldn’t chance fate. Just as she went to tell him, Lucas said, “Thank you for letting Tate go back there and sit with Audrey. I know it meant a lot to him.”

  Fallon nodded, pulling away to look up into his beautiful grey eyes. The same grey eyes their son had, the same ones she hoped their unborn child would be blessed with. “Mom wouldn’t go without Dad, and I wouldn’t go without you. I couldn’t sit there and watch her try to heal without you. As much as all three of us want to be in there, we can’t. Plus, Tate needs this time with her. He is falling apart.”

  “He is,” Lucas said sadly, “I’m really worried about him and you, but I promise you, baby, I can feel it in my gut, she going to make it. She’s going to wake up and crack a joke about something and then life will go back to normal. Everything is going to be okay.”

  Fallon nodded again, her tears spilling over her cheeks as she said, “I pray to God, you’re right, Lucas. I want you to be right because I can’t imagine raising my baby without my sister and her baby.”

  Lucas’ eyes widened as he held Fallon’s gaze, “What?”

  “I’m pregnant Lucas, Audrey and I are a little under two weeks apart.”

  “You are?” he asked a grin coming over his lips. She nodded as a grin of her own appeared. Even if it was for only a second, Fallon smiled as her husband, the love of her life, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her senseless. It had been almost a year since she had been blessed with his kisses back into her life and they still blew her away. Parting, he kissed her nose, before looking deep in her eyes. As much as she wanted to gush and talk about their child, Fallon felt that both of them knew it wasn’t the time to do that.

  “There’s so much I want to say right now, and I will once Audrey is better but know, Fallon, you have made me the happiest man on earth,” he whispered against her lips.

  Fallon nodded, tears still rushing down her face as she held the gaze of her husband and said, “Good, because you have been making me happy since the day I stopped being stupid and realized you were the only man for me. It’s about damn time for me to pay you back, I guess.”

  Lucas smiled, kissing her again, “Everything is going to work out, baby, don’t you worry. Me, you, Tate and Audrey, will all celebrate our children’s births together as a big happy family. You just wait and see, everything is going to be okay.”

  Fallon nodded, her heart wanting to believe him while her brain doubted him. She wanted nothing more than to grow huge with her sister, eating cupcakes whenever they wanted or floating with their big bellies in the pool while Tate and Lucas built something for their viewing pleasure. She wanted to laugh and cry about the joy of pregnancy with Audrey. She wanted to hold her baby sister’s hand when she had her baby, and then she wanted Audrey to hold hers when she pushed hers out. She wanted all these moments, and she had to believe she would have them, or she was going to drive herself bat shit crazy.

  Looking up at Lucas, she smiled, and said, “I can’t wait. I love you, Lucas.”

  Lucas gave her a sexy half grin before his hand moved to her midsection while his eyes shined with tears, “I love you too, baby girl.”