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His arm bent until his hand could brush against her hands. “I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

His eyes closed, and he lost consciousness.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Reagan couldn’t explain it. If anyone had asked her about Jackson two days ago, she would have described him as the biggest pain in her ass. If asked now, as she sat by his bedside holding tightly to his hand, she would have to call him her hero. He came to rescue her and her mother and was shot protecting them. The truth both humbled and terrified her.

She heard a rustling and a shuffle behind her, but she didn’t bother to turn around.

“You shouldn’t be in here.”

English held onto Jackson’s bed with one hand while his other arm cradled his ribs as he shuffled across to stand on the other side.

“Doc says Jacky’s going to be okay.”

Reagan refused to let him ignore her. “You’re not going to be okay if you don’t stay in bed while your body is still healing. You’ve only just gotten out of a coma, remember?”

“It’s not the kind of thing a person forgets. Becky said you haven’t left Jacky’s side since they put him in the ambulance.”

“He was shot protecting me. Of course, I’m going to be here for him. I want a chance to thank you, but his pain meds have kept him knocked out.”

“It’s okay, you know. You can like Jacky and still hate me. It’s my fault.”

Reagan tilted her head up to look at him. “I wasn’t in danger because of you. TJ was after my mother. I think he wanted you and Dad out of the way, so Mom would be all his. Crazy son of a bitch.”

“He tried to reconnect with Traci once before, not long after we divorced. I stopped him, and your mother met Dunlap. TJ stayed away until he found out he was dying. It’s been so long since he’s been around, I didn’t see him as a threat,” English explained.

“How much do you remember?”

English touched a hand to the bandage around his head. “Most of the attack. I remember TJ told me he was coming for those closest to me. He was going to make me pay for ruining his changes with Traci.”

“He’s delusional.”

“He found out this week his cancer has metastasized to his brain. It’s possible that affected his rational through and escalate his behavior. Anyway, he won’t be bothering you or your mother anymore.”

Reagan returned her gaze to Jackson, needing to focus on something while talking to her father. “And you? Will you be bothering my mother?”

“No, Ray. Your mother and I had our time, but she and Randall are in it for keeps. I knew he was the one for her when I met him. I was never that guy, no matter how much I wanted to be.”

Tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she blinked them back. “You were that guy for Jackson and the rest of the boys.”

“Not really. I was a roof over their heads and three meals a day. I never expected them to stay. I never expected them…”

Reagan squeezed Jackson’s hand for the support. “You never expected them to follow in your footsteps? You should have. It’s the reason you wanted sons, isn’t it?”

English chuckled. “I never wanted sons. Everybody says boys are easier to raise, but you weren’t the one who turned my hair gray. The boys caused me stressed and worried more than you ever did.”

“I was six years old when you left. The years of teenage drama and puberty and rollercoasters of emotions hadn’t hit yet.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered. You and your mom made me happy during a time when I was questioning everything about my life. I never wanted to leave, but it was the right thing to do, even if it meant you spent the rest of your life hating me.”

“I don’t hate you,” she said quietly. “I want to, but I don’t. If you had stayed, my life would be different. I like my life. I can’t regret the things that have happened to give me this life.”

“Including me coming back into your life and introducing you to Jacky?”

Reagan lifted her hand still joined with Jackson’s. “This isn’t what you think. We barely know each other, and we do nothing but fight. This is about the fact he saved me and my mother. The least I can do is keep him company until he wakes up.”

“He’s not like me,” English continued. “Never has been. He has a protective streak a mile wide, but he reserves it for those who deems worthy of it. For a long time, it’s been me and his brothers. It even took him a while to add Becky to the list. It didn’t take him long to add you.”