Chapter 15

Josh paced up and down the halls of the hospital, waiting to hear about Bri. An hour later, the doctor stepped out of the room and informed Josh that she and baby were doing okay, but they had given Bri a sedative and they would be monitoring her overnight. Josh felt like he could finally breathe again. If they wanted to keep her for observation he could live with that, as long as they knew he would be sleeping in the chair by her bed. He refused to let his woman out of his sight again, but he'd have to soon. Noah needed Josh back to give a statement. Christ, what a clusterfuck.

"Josh!"

Turning, Josh found Brian Evan headed his way.

Just what I need.

The livid man pointed a finger in Josh's face. "This is your fault," Brian shouted. "I should have known you couldn't protect her."

Josh snapped. He could have handled Brian being upset, even a little given what his daughter had been through, but to outright blame Josh? Without thinking, Josh cocked his elbow and threw it forward, his fist colliding with Brian's jaw.

Holding the side of his face, Brian stared wide-eyed. "You hit me!"

"No shit." He grunted.

He could have made it a nose shot and broken the damn thing, so the man should consider himself lucky.

Giving a nod to Bri’s mother, Margaret, he added, "Ma'am. I'd say I'm sorry but I'm not. I do apologize for doing it in front of you though."

"Oh, no, my dear boy, don't apologize. I think my husband had that coming.” She smirked, shaking her head. "You had no right, Brian."

"No right? I trusted this bastard to keep my daughter safe. What the hell did you think I was going to do?" He bellowed.

"Apparently make a scene," Margaret muttered, rolling her eyes. "I'm going in to see my daughter. You two sort this out."

She left Josh alone with Brian in the corridor. Folding his arms across his chest, Josh stared down at the smaller man. The silence between them stretched out.

Unable to stand the tension any longer, Josh said, "I'm not going anywhere Brian, and this wasn't my fault."

"Maybe not, but that's my baby girl in there," he said, pointing to the door. "She's gone through too much in such a short space of time."

"I agree, but I am going to marry her and we are having a baby. That's something you're gonna have to deal with.” Sighing, Josh swiped a hand roughly down his tired face. "Look, they said Bri is gonna be out for the night. I've gotta head back and sort some stuff out with the sheriff. I don't want to leave her, but I want the situation dealt with before she comes home. If she does wake up, can you please tell her I'll be back as soon as possible?"

"Sure." Brian replied begrudgingly.

Turning to leave, Josh added one more thing, "For the record, she means everything to me, and tonight, I would've died for her."

Without waiting for a response, Josh took off down the hall. The sooner he gave his statement to Noah, the sooner he could get back to Bri. He also decided to take a side trip home to get his mother's ring. He wanted Bri to know she meant the world to him. She would never doubt his love for her.

* * *

"Bri, would you just wait a second.” Charlotte sighed, completely exasperated.

Ignoring her sister's request, Bri tugged on the jacket Charlotte had brought for her, furious.

"Charlotte's right, maybe you should just stop for a second. You've been under a fair amount of stress." Her brother-in-law, Ryan, suggested.

She knew the pair were concerned for her and the baby, but if they thought for one second she'd sit back and leave things be, they didn't know her very well. Bri had woken an hour ago still a little worse for wear, but surprisingly coping, only to find Josh gone.

"You can't tell me where Josh is, or even when he'll be back. The only thing you've told me is he and daddy got into it when I was brought in and no one has seen him since.” Slipping on her shoes, she walked to the door. "If he isn't going to answer his phone, then I'm going to find him and get some answers."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "There is no need to go all gung-ho. Mom and dad should be back soon. They were here all night, and headed home to freshen up. If you just wait a little longer then you can ask them."

Bri knew her sister's suggestion was probably the more reasonable one, but she couldn't wait. She felt re-energized—she had faced her demons, and was still standing. Most importantly, Timothy wasn't.

"I need to find him, Charlotte."

"And I get that, but it was only last night that you had to be sedated. I'm not even sure if what happened last night has fully sunk in yet.” Charlotte walked over and wrapped her arm around Bri. "But…if you really need to do this, then let's do it right. We'll see about a doctor discharging you, then if you can leave I'll help you find your wayward cowboy."

She smiled gratefully at her sister. "Thanks."

Briskly making her way down the hallway with Charlotte and Ryan by her side, Bri headed for the nurses' desk eager to get things in motion. The elevators to the left whooshed open and Bri stumbled to a stop at the sight of Josh stepping out. A smile curved her lips when she saw he held a bunch of roses.

Chocolate roses.

He wouldn't just leave her.

Bolstered by a confidence she had never felt before, she called out, "Those better be for me, Cowboy."

Bri watched in amusement as Josh's head shot up, his mouth doing a great impression of a fish. He snapped out of his daze when she cocked her eyebrow, waiting for him to speak.

Rushing over, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "What are you doing? You should still be in bed."

"Well, you see, I woke up to find my sister in my room and no one else. When I asked her where you were, she said mom told her you and daddy had gotten into a fight, literally, and you had left. And since neither you, nor my father, were answering your phones, I decided to come and find out what happened.” Leaning back, she met his gaze. "So, wanna tell me what happened?"

Josh wore a deep frown on his face, clearly pissed. "What were you gonna do, drive all the way to Bricker in your condition?"

"No, don't be silly," she said, and watched him visibly relax. Then she added, "I was going to get Charlotte to drive."

His frown returned. "Damned ornery woman, you're supposed to be in bed."

Her eyes narrowed. "Yeah, but you're supposed to be there with me."

Looking a little chagrined, he grumbled, "I had to help Noah and talk to the state police. I thought you would still be out of it, but I did ask your father to tell you I would be back if you woke up before I returned."

"Was that before or after you punched him?” She smirked.

"After. But the man had it coming, just ask your mother." He muttered.

Shaking her head at his antics, Bri threw her arms around his neck, careful of her bandages. God, she loved the man. Pulling his head down, she brought their mouths together. Her lips moved over his, slow and sensual, almost like a promise.

All too soon, Josh raised his head, smiling down at her. "There's something I wanted to give you."

"I know, I saw the roses.” She smiled back.

"No, ah, no. I mean, yes? They are for you, but there was, ah, something else." He said, stumbling over his words.

Fumbling around in his pockets, he found what he had been looking for, and a grin spread across his face. Bri gasped when he suddenly dropped to one knee, and held up a box with the most exquisite ring inside. A marquise-cut emerald sat in the middle, surrounded by small round diamonds set in white gold. She had seen this ring before, in old family photos hanging on the walls at home.

His mother's ring.

"Bri, I know I've already asked you, but this time I want to do it right," he started, clearing his throat. "Since the moment I spotted you in that bar, standing awkwardly behind your sister, you have owned a piece of me. Your eyes were the first thing that caught me, but your pure heart has kept me ensnared. You now own every bit of me. After all you have been through, you still have the ability to laugh and love and I will be forever grateful if you chose me to share it with, and now I ask, with my family's ring as a promise to always love you, will you marry me?"

Her face damp from tears, Bri lovingly cupped his cheek, her heart warmed with love. His words were the most beautiful thing she had ever heard.

"Yes. Of course I will."

Josh's smile shone brighter than the sun. He jumped up, reaching for her, and swept her up into his embrace. Cheers erupted from all around them, and Bri suddenly realized they'd drawn a crowd. She'd been so caught up with Josh, she hadn't even noticed. Her smile grew brighter when she saw her family in the group, standing alongside Caleb. Catching her father's gaze, she nodded to him, letting him know she had exactly what she wanted. She belonged right here, in the arms of her cowboy.