“Thank you,” she whispered as she rested her head against my shoulder again.

“Listen, if you want to wait here, I’ll wait with you. I don’t care how long you stay. I won’t leave. But I really do think you’ll be more comfortable at home. You’re not doing yourself any good by being here.”

“I can’t go home. I’d never forgive myself if he…”

“You can’t think like that, Bree. You have to stay positive.”

She relaxed against me with a deep sigh. “I just want to stay a little bit longer. Just until I have some news. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep,” she whispered, sounding so far away.

The overwhelming need consumed me to hold onto her and bring back the Bree I knew and loved. The only thing I knew to do was to talk to her about something. It’s what we always did. When things got tough, we’d just sit and talk, and before we knew it, everything would seem brighter and more manageable. “Tell me about him. You never said much about your dad before, and now you seem really close. I want to hear all about him.”

With my arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer, she let out a small shudder and grabbed the side of my shirt in her fist, causing my heart to nearly beat out of my chest. “He’s a great man. He made mistakes when I was younger, but he’s owned up to all of them. And he’s more than made up for them, too. My stepmom is amazing, and so are my sisters. I hated that my mom kept me away from such a loving family, but at least I have them in my life now.”

“He’s good with Ayla?” Even though it was no longer my job to protect Bree, or her daughter, I couldn’t fight the unexplainable strong connection I felt toward them both. I only needed to make sure they were both being well taken care of.

Her small giggle rippled through my side as she snuggled closer, attempting to hide her humor. “When he found out about Ayla, he wasn’t too happy. But once he got out the typical father speech about how he wanted better for me, he seemed rather happy. I think she’s kind of helped him overcome his guilt over things he regrets from when I was young. And he sees how good she is for me, too…that makes him happy.”

“She’s the reason you never went to college?”

“Yeah. But I don’t regret it for a minute. I thought about taking classes once she started school, but I decided against it a while ago. The drive isn’t really there for me. I think the reason I wanted to go to college so much before was to get away from my mom. But I don’t have that excuse anymore.”

“What about your job? You said you hate it.” I wanted to keep her talking, not only to prevent her mind from falling prey to the situation in front of her, but also because I didn’t know how much time I had with her, and I needed to know everything I could about the woman she’d turned out to be.

“My dad and Robin, as well as my sisters, have been so supportive ever since I came into their lives. They never treated me as anything other than their family. But after I graduated from high school, I wanted to be as independent as I could. I didn’t want to rely on them for everything, so I took the only job that was available at the time. I work at a motel downtown, the one across from the lake. But I had to take the nightshifts because Ayla needed me during the day. Now that she’s in school, I can work days, but they don’t need a day clerk at the moment, and everywhere else I’ve applied said they can’t be flexible enough for my situation. So I’m stuck there.”

“Why do you hate the motel so much? Just the hours?”

“That,” she started with a huff, “and it’s a pay-by-the-hour place. Meaning we get a lot of shady people. Hookers, johns, cheating husbands…those types of seedy characters. It’s depressing, but it helps pay the bills.”

I fought the urge to ask about her husband—what he did for a living, why didn’t he help out that much—but I refrained, knowing that listening to her talk about him would hurt more than the knowledge of his existence. So I kept my questions and concerns to myself and surmised that he was probably just as young as Bree, and most likely struggled along with her instead of being the dead-beat dad I’d imagined him to be.

“You still dream of making furniture?”

Her body had fully relaxed against mine as she nodded. “But it’s not something that I will be able to do anytime soon. I’ve realized that I don’t need school to do it. I only need money,” she said with a laugh. “I know it’ll take me time to save up, but I also know how worth it it’ll be in the end, knowing I did it all on my own.”

Before I could say anything else to her, a nurse walked in the room. “Are you the family of Mr. Jacobs?” she asked, holding a clipboard to her chest as she stood in the doorway.

Bree jumped up, her hands shaking at her sides. “Yes…he’s my father.”

Without thought, without a moment’s hesitation, I reached out and grabbed her hand in mine, gripping it tightly to show her my support. She needed to know that someone was there for her.

The older woman in pink and white scrubs took a few steps and sat down in the chair closest to her, motioning for Aubrey to do the same. “He’s awake. He’s very tired and still recovering from the anesthesia, so he’s groggy and doesn’t really know what’s going on. We have him sedated with heavy pain meds, so he’s not very lucid. But he’s in the clear, and that’s all that matters right now. You’re welcome to see him if you’d like, but we ask that only one person at a time goes in. And we don’t suggest staying too long. If he knows you’re in there, he might try to stay awake, and he needs his rest to allow his body to heal.”

Aubrey relaxed in front me. Her shoulders slumped and her head dropped. “Any idea of how long it’ll take for him to recover? When will he get to come home?”

The nurse shook her head and answered, “Let’s take it one step at a time, but as long as everything goes well, which we fully expect it to, he should be moved to a regular room tomorrow. As far as when he will be released, I can’t give you an answer. It all depends on how fast his body starts to heal.”

“Thank you,” Bree whispered, gripping my hand.

I wasn’t sure if she meant it toward me or the nurse, but the lady smiled and left the room. I didn’t move, refused to let go of Bree, and waited for her to make the first move.

“I need to go home.”

I nodded, knowing my time had come to an end.

“But I don’t want to be alone.”

“Why would you be alone?” I asked cautiously as I explored her wedding band with my fingertips and thumb.

She turned away and closed her eyes. “Can you please just make sure I get home okay? I’m really drained right now, and I would feel better if I knew someone was watching out for me. Plus, after what happened to my dad, I’m kinda scared to be driving.”

“Of course.” I couldn’t say more, ask more, or even suggest more, worried that it might push her away. I simply left it at that, grabbed her purse from the floor, and escorted her out to the parking lot.

I followed her across town, stopping when she pulled into a driveway next to another car. The smart thing to do would’ve been to wave at her and keep driving home. But I never claimed to be smart around Bree. That fact had been proven time and time again when I’d shut off all logic and engaged in a romantic relationship with a student, knowing the reality of the outcome. I decided to park on the road in front of her house and got out, knowing the dangerous line I teetered on. Just as I did with all things pertaining to Bree, I rationalized my thoughts. All I wanted was to say goodnight, to let her know that I would be there for support anytime she needed me. But as soon as I stepped up to her after she closed the door of her car, someone walked outside.

She was young with blond hair, petite, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. She wrapped her arms around her waist as she approached, probably fighting off the slight chill in the air. Her eyes narrowed on me, taking slow, cautious steps toward us.