Page 55 of Sweet Escape (Whispering Oaks Ranch #1)

Twice in a Lifetime

? Like I’m Gonna Lose You - Jasmine Thompson

Olivia

I blink my eyes open, adjusting to the harsh light of the hospital room. There’s a steady beeping sound from a heart monitor audible beneath the incessant pulsing in my head. “Ouch.”

“Liv? Russell, get the doctor. She’s waking up.”

I turn my face to the voice of Evelyn Hayes. Her hand has mine in a vise grip. “Can you hear me, sweet girl?”

Her blurry figure slowly comes into focus, and I instinctively search the room for the man I love, coming up empty.

“He’s with Gracie,” Evelyn says. “She’s perfect, Liv. You did good.”

“Wh-where?” My voice cracks.

Evelyn swoops in with a cup of water, supporting me as I sit up long enough to take a drink. “She’s in the NICU. As soon as the doctor gives the okay, we’ll take you to meet your girl. ”

A tear tracks down my cheek, and I reach for my stomach. I wish I could still feel her there, safe and sound, where I can protect her. I couldn’t even get that right, could I? We almost lost her.

A loud thud causes my head to turn toward the door. My mom is standing there with trembling hands and a watery smile. “Liv! My God. My baby!” She rushes into the room and cradles my face, tears streaming down her cheeks. “We almost lost you.”

“Mommy.” My bottom lip trembles as I bury my face against her shoulder and let the tears come.

I see it now; I understand her pain in a way I never did before.

I understand Jess, now, too. I understand that every moment with her daughter was worth it in the end.

I could’ve died, and I would still be grateful for that one fleeting moment when I held her in my arms and looked into those familiar blue eyes, that face so like Wilder’s that it stole my breath.

It makes this second chance that much more meaningful.

It makes every moment from here on out more meaningful.

The need to go to her—to them —almost overwhelms me, and before I know it, I’m throwing back the covers, trying to get out of this bed that’s holding me hostage.

“Calm down, Liv,” my mom says. “You’ll rip your stitches.”

“I need to see her. Please.” My voice is small. Pleading.

Doctor Patel comes in, her expression unreadable as she steps up beside my mom. “You gave us quite a scare, Olivia.”

Mom moves out of the way so the doctor can take my vitals and discuss my recovery. Doctor Patel explains that I experienced a postpartum hemorrhage due to a placental abruption, but I’m only half listening, waiting for the moment I can lay eyes on my baby.

“Gracie has been taken to the NICU for observation since she’s a premie, but she’s doing well, and you’ll be able to see her as soon as the nurse comes back with the wheelchair.”

I breathe a sigh of relief when Cara walks in, pushing a wheelchair with my dad coming in just behind her.

“How are you feeling?”Dad asks.

“Bit like I’ve been hit by a truck.”

He smoothes a hand over my hair and kisses my forehead.

“My girl. You’ve always been a fighter.” Dad’s throat bobs, and there’s a line of tears gathering along his lashes as he exhales a long breath.

It’s more emotion than I’ve ever seen from this giant of a man in my entire life. “Love you, kiddo.”

“Love you, too, but if you don’t get out of my way and let Cara take me to see Gracie, I might need to be sedated again.”

A deep chuckle reverberates through his chest, and he offers a hand to help me out of bed, settling me in the wheelchair. He reaches for my mom, bringing their joined hands to his lips. “We’ll be in the waiting room.”

Evelyn crouches beside my chair, worry lining her features. “Wilder’s a mess. Be patient with him.”

I nod and motion for Cara to take me to them. I want his mess: his past, future, and everything in between. I want the tattered tapestry that makes up the man I love more than I ever thought possible. He’s the only person who truly understands my mess and accepts who I am with no reservations.

When I enter the sterile room, Wilder is there with his back turned, his finger held in her little fist as he looks down upon our daughter asleep in the clear bassinet. The moment he senses my presence, his spine straightens.

Cara stops the wheelchair, and I stand on wobbly legs, banding my arms around his waist from behind.

I soak in his warmth as if we’re the only people in the room.

His free hand comes over mine, clutching me tighter, and his body shakes, his head slumping between his shoulders.

I rest my cheek against his back, letting his emotions flow through me, my tears soaking into his shirt.

“You were gone.” His gravelly voice is broken up by intense sobs, and my heart lurches in my chest.

“I’m right here, baby.”

“I almost lost you.”

“You didn’t.”

“I almost lost both of you.”

I’m uncertain whether he’s talking to me or himself at this point, but I let him pour every ounce of his pain into me, sharing the fear, hurt, and heart-wrenching relief until his sobs slow to uneven breaths.

“Your heart stopped. Did you know that? Your heart fucking stopped, and mine did, too.” His voice cracks.

“I thought… Ithought I’d never get to see your smile again, hear you laugh.

Our home would never smell like cupcakes, and I wouldn’t get to see you picking daisies with our girls.

I watched our future disappear right before my eyes, and I was terrified , Liv. ”

I release him, stepping up to his side. “I’m here. We’re okay.”

Reluctantly pulling free from Gracie’s grasp, he tugs me to him and rests his chin on my head, holding me against his chest as he inhales deeply. I stare down at the perfect little bundle, watching her chest rise and fall. Her impossibly long lashes flutter against her cheeks.

When Wilder finally lets go, he glances between me and Gracie, then reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small slip of paper. He lifts my hand and flattens my palm, placing it there. I take it between my thumb and forefinger, reading the faded words on the time-worn parchment.

“Love doesn’t have to be once in a lifetime.”

“It wasn’t blank.”

He shakes his head. “No. It wasn’t blank. It was everything I never dared to h ope for. Everything I never wanted. It was you , Liv.”

I suck in a sharp breath, unable to speak, but I don’t have to because Wilder speaks for me.

“I love you. Don’t you ever fucking leave me again.” His lips collide with mine.

I taste his salty tears on my tongue, mingling with my own. Two broken souls inextricably linked.

When he pulls back, I look into those fathomless eyes of his, seeing the truth of his confession; it’s a truth I once thought was beyond my reach. “I love you, too.”