Champion At Heart (Sequel of Breaking Ice)

Chapter Forty Five

His chest ached and his entire body felt weak, but what hurt the most was his heart. Brooklyn was gone, and had taken with her the one person he had adored more than anything in the world. 

    His daughter. 

    With a lot of effort, he stirred awake, his eyes fluttering open and looking around, realizing he was in a hospital room. The white walls and bleach smell overpowered his senses, and he wished he was at his ranch, overseeing his animals while taking in the scent and sight of hay, manure and sunrise dew. 

    He wanted to be home. 

    Feeling a heaviness on his body, his gaze fell on his arm, not believing his eyes. Abilene laid on his chest, her soft dark hair tickling his skin as she slept soundly, her cute snores making him smile. 

    She was here. 

    Moving his head to the left, where he felt a heavier weight on his other arm, he noticed Brooklyn, looking as angelical, resting by his side, bringing tears into his eyes before he was able to blink them away. 

    They had come back to him.

“Daddy?” He heard the sleepy voice of his daughter as she rubbed her eyes awake, her blue eyes, big and beautiful, just staring at him. “You’re okay. Right?”

Her concern had twisted his soul, but he couldn’t help it as he raised his arm and pulled her against him, kissing her hair while reassuring her he would be okay. He still felt the effects of the drugs and his faint, but he knew the doctors still saved his life. 

“Mama,” Abilene whispered, shaking Brooklyn. “Mama, Daddy is awake.”

She moved slowly, opening her eyes before she lifted her head to take a look at Marshall, who returned her gaze with a frown. That’s when she knew she had truly messed everything up.

 “Marshall,” she lifted herself, trying to get out of the bed for fear she was making him uncomfortable, but he held on to her, pulling her back against him. Abilene smiled and hopped off, sneaking out of the room to join the rest of the family. She understood her parents needed some privacy.

 There was an awkward silence, as Brooklyn tried to find the right words to start their conversation. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked softly, not wanting to waste the little energy he had left. He was more curious than angry at her presence, after leaving him instead of trusting him. 

“Bexley and Sophia called me, and left me voicemails explaining what happened to you when I left. Oh, Marshall, had I known you'd been drugged, I wouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”

“You jumped to conclusions, without letting me explain,” he stated, feeling slightly nauseous.

“I know. And I feel stupid. Marshall, I promise this won’t happen again. I was angry, and I didn’t mean anything I said. Being cheated before has made me doubt you, and deep inside, I thought you still had feelings for Cassie.”

Marshall scoffed and laid his head back on the pillow, looking at the ceiling, taking a deep exhausted breath. 

“I heard Cassie has been arrested, and she’s being held at the station.”

“Forget about Cassie, Brooklyn,” he snapped, groaning in pain. His leg hurt more than it had in a while. “Forget about the past, about what has been. Why don’t you just focus on what the future brings us? I have moved on, and want nothing to do with her, so what makes you think I could have cheated on you?”

“I know, Marshall…”

Letting out a frustrated breath, he added. “This between us won’t work. Maybe it’s for the best.”

For the best. Words she now despised. Brooklyn took a deep calming breath, but it didn’t help when she was feeling upset at his words.

Getting off the bed, she paced back and forth on the floor in that hospital room, her hands balled into tight fists as she tried to properly process what he had said. 

Was he willing to give up on them? She couldn't say she blamed him, as she had done it twice. She regretted both decisions.

“Marshall Redd. You're crazy if you think I will just leave now. I know I've made decisions that affected you, and I regret every single one of them. You have no idea what it was like to have our daughter ask for you every single day of her life, and it tore me apart just to see her hopeful eyes, only for me to snuff that light out of her.”

He tried to sit straight, but couldn’t, and he wished he could be standing by her side, wrapping his arms around her. 

She needed to learn she had been wrong.

“Coming back here has been the best decision of my life. It was all worth it, because I got to see Abilene smile. That smile that she never genuinely showed, all because she was missing something, someone in her life. And here I go, taking her away from you, just because I was too stupid and too scared to admit we could have a happy life."

"You still believed her."

"Stop, Marshall! I know I did. Can we just forget it and move on?"

With a swift movement, Brooklyn was in his bed, straddling his lap while she cupped his cheeks, both of them just taking in each other's presence. The closeness they always yearned for, and the love they knew one felt for the other.  

"I promise not to run away again, and to work out our problems. I will never doubt you. Never."

"Promises, Brooklyn. It's all words for you."

"No. Not this time. When I saw that video revealing what they did, I was angry at them and myself for not believing you. But not anymore."

Brooklyn pressed her lips on his, molding them together in a sweet kiss as they tasted each other's saltiness from their tears. 

"Cassie will not get in between us again. I almost lost you thanks to her damn obsession with you."

Marshall nodded and finally wrapped his arms around her as she put her head on his chest and sobbed, feeling relieved. 

Her life was here and she would not let anything or anyone ruin it for them. 

After a moment of tears and smiles, Brooklyn climbed down the bed, kissing Marshall on the forehead. "I'll be back." She made her way towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

Looking at Marshall over her shoulder, she smirked. "To teach someone not to mess with my family."