And it's the sound of that nickname on his rasping voice that makes my knees give out. Kade catches me around the waist and picks me up, before sitting in a chair with me in his lap.
All the pain from the last few weeks comes tumbling out. All the hurt and fear and longing. He holds me, rocking me softly, whispering reassurances only loud enough for me to hear.
When I finally pull myself together enough to meet his eyes, I'm shocked to see him crying too.
“I’m so sorry,” I choke out.
He shakes his head, brushing my tears away with his thumb. “Nothing to be sorry for, baby.”
“Yes,” I argue, gripping his forearm for all I'm worth. “I fucked up. I left when I should have listened.”
“Maybe,” he murmurs, brows tight. “But there’s so much I should have told you. So much about my past with Marlee. It wasn’t good, Georgia. I’m so sorry you thought I was still…” Exhales roughly, jaw ticking, and I want to interrupt, but I need this, and I think he does too.
With a sigh, he grips my neck, fingers tangling in my hair and hugs me tight to his chest.
“Marlee used me for a long fuckin’ time. Used me to feel like she had a family. Used me to fulfill some fantasy she had. Convinced me to join the military–something I never wanted till she came along. And when I was away, she was using my checks to fund her escape plan. Thought she was paying for college, or fuck, I don’t know, preparing for our life together. But she was paying for a life far away from me.”
He sucks in a shuddering breath.
“And yeah, when I got her letter, it fucked me up. I lost my head. Couldn't see through the shit raining down around me. I was young and stupid and stubborn. And no, it's not all her fault, but I need you to know that the love I felt for her was nothing compared to what I feel for you.Nothing.”
He swallows hard, a choked, broken sound that has me wrapping my arms around him and tugging him into me.
He left his Stetson in the truck, so I smooth his dark wild hair out of his eyes—hair that reminds me so much of our daughter’s.
“There’s something else…something I should have told you months ago, but fuck, I didn’t know how. Wanted to forget it all, but…”
“It’s okay,” I whisper, kissing his cheek, his jaw, his temple. “It’s okay, Kade.”
“It’s not, though.”
I wipe away his tears as he blinks up at me.
“Aurora…she…Ethel said someone hurt her, baby. Hurt her before she was ours.”
My breath catches, and the room spins.
“What?”
He nods sadly. “Few broken bones, some scars, but only one hospital visit.”
I pull back, eyes narrowed and shake my head. “That wasn’t… that… when I did the intake… when I talked to the hospital…”
He pulls me in and kisses my forehead. “I know. Ethel had to dig. But it's more. Marlee and Travis, they were drunk the day of the accident. No signs of swerving or anything. They… they did it on purpose. And they could have…”
“Could have killed Aurora,” I hiss, anger and venom splitting me open. “Jesus, Kade. That’s….”
I run a shaking hand through my hair and shove off his lap, pacing through the waiting room. “How dare they!”
“I know,” he murmurs, watching me process, watching me fall the fuck apart. “How fucking dare they do that to her! To our daughter!”
I’m spiraling. My words are a mess. I’m crying and cursing and shaking.
After a few minutes, Kade steps into my path and blocks my even strides.
“What the hell, you brooding tree!” I half-sob, half-shout, swatting at him.
He drags me into him and chuckles softly, but it’s full of tears. “You called Aurora our daughter.”
