CHAPTER 1

Two Years Later

Levi

“ALL RIGHT, MAN. TAKE it easy, and Cade will see you in a couple of weeks for the final session.”

Ending the call, I shove my cell into my pocket and huff out a breath. Looking up at the clock on the wall of our shop, I see I need to go pick Lily up from my parents’. Marveled Misfits Ink, the shop Caden and I own, is closed to clients every Monday and Tuesday. I came in today to do some paperwork, and some fuckwad felt the need to call and triple-check every move he needs to make. Cade inked him just a couple days ago, and the guy is already asking about his next appointment. Like I know anything about it. He’s not my client, and I don’t have time for this shit.

Swinging out to my Ford parked in front of the shop, I climb in and rev the engine. Checking the time on my watch, I’m annoyed to see I missed lunch with my mom and Lily, but I’m still out early enough that we can take advantage of this beautiful day. Switching the onscreen navigation to my call log, I dial my mom, the loud ringing filling the cab.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Momma. I’m on my way over now.”

“Levi, oh good. I should prepare you, Lily isn’t feeling well. Poor thing threw up her lunch about an hour ago.”

Shit.

“Is she okay?” I press the gas pedal close to the floor in order to get there faster. In her four years, Lily has never really been sick.

“Honey, she’s fine. She’s lying on the couch now watching some princess movie with her bunny, waiting for you.”

“I’ll be there soon. Love you, Momma.”

I disconnect the call and focus on the road in front of me. My little girl needs me, and nothing is going to stop me from getting there in the next ten minutes. Breaking a few speeding laws on the way, I’m pulling in the driveway soon enough. Parking next to the garage, I slam the door shut and run inside, shoving my keys in my pocket as I do.

“Momma!” Shouting as I yank the front door open, I move through the kitchen, the house completely silent. Swinging into the den, I find my mom in her rocking chair and Lily asleep on the couch next to her. My mom holds her finger to her lips and puts the magazine she was reading down, pulling me from the room.

“Let her rest, honey. She’s fine.”

Ignoring her, I drop to my knees in front of the couch, brushing the soft blonde locks away from my little girl’s face. Softly kissing her warm forehead, I let my hand rest on her small cheek, thumb caressing her skin gently. Her big blue eyes flutter open and land on me.

“Daddy,” she whispers.

“Hey, baby. I’m here now. How you feeling?”

“I don’t feel good, Daddy. I frew up and my belly hurts.”

“I’m sorry, Lil. What can I do to make it better?”

“Can we go home, Daddy? I wanna go home.”

“Of course.”

Placing another kiss to her forehead, I stand up and pull the blanket off her small body. Grabbing her bunny, I tuck it under my arm and gently lift her off the couch. She tucks her face into my neck and I feel the heat radiating off her body.

“Does she have a fever?” I ask.

“Just over 101. I gave her some Tylenol, and she’s kept all the water down I gave her.”

Clutching Lily in my arms, I give my mom a kiss on the cheek.

“Love you. I have no clue what I’d do without you.”

“Love you too, Levi. Get that sweet girl home to her bed.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Winking, I carry Lily out to my truck and settle her in her booster seat. In the bright daylight, I can see how flushed her cheeks are, and her eyes are droopy. Snapping the last buckle, I rush around the back of my truck and climb in, rushing to make the few-minute drive to my house a couple blocks over. Pulling in my driveway, I park and pull Lily from her seat, carrying her inside and upstairs to her bedroom. I help her change into her favorite nightgown and tuck her into bed. Checking my watch again, I do the math on when she needs more medicine and go across the hall to my master bedroom.

Figuring I have a few minutes at least, I step into my adjoining bathroom and rush through a quick shower. Towel-drying my hair, I change into a pair of sweats and an old tee before poking my head in to check on my baby. Sound asleep. Leaving the door ajar, I head back downstairs to grab some cold pizza from dinner last night, not bothering to heat it up. Snagging a water from the fridge, I take the pizza box with me into the living room and turn on the television, searching for something to watch.

Our DVR is loaded with kid shows and movies, and I hardly have time to keep up with television shows anyway, so I settle on an old rerun of House and kick my feet up on the coffee table. I’ve only made it through another slice and half the episode when I hear her.

“Daddy! Daddy!”

Jumping off the couch, I rush upstairs and race into Lily’s room just in time to see her throw up all over herself and the floor in front of her bed.

“Oh, Lily bug.”

Her cries tear at my heart, and I carefully maneuver myself around the puddle so I can grab her. After getting her washed up and in clean pajamas again, I carry her downstairs to the couch so I can clean her bed. Stripping the sheets and blankets, I throw it all into the washing machine and then Lysol the shit out of her floor.

When I go back downstairs, Lily is still awake and clutching her bunny. Swinging by the downstairs bathroom, I grab her thermometer and some more Tylenol. Sitting next to her on the couch, I run the back of my hand over her forehead, concerned to find her even warmer than when we left my mom’s earlier. Holding the thermometer in her ear, I watch the number shoot up to almost 103 and my pulse kicks into overdrive.

“How you doing, Lily?”

“Head hurts.” Her voice barely penetrates the silence, and it spurs me into action. Hurrying to the front door, I stuff my feet into my Chucks and grab my keys. Scooping her from the couch, I grab her bunny and hustle her into my truck.

Five minutes later I’m flying down the road, getting to the emergency room as fast as I can. Looking in my rearview mirror, I can see her head lolling around and her eyes drifting shut.

“C’mon, Lily. Baby, I need you to keep your eyes open for Daddy.”

I clench the wheel so tight my knuckles are white, and I’ve broken out into a sweat. Lily has never been sick before, and it’s killing me to see her like this.

What if something is horribly wrong?

Screeching into the parking lot, I don’t bother parking, just hit my hazards and race around to her side of the car, pulling her out as gently yet quickly as possible. Her eyes are closed and I can tell her breathing is labored. Cradling her to my chest, I run as fast as I can inside the building.

“I need help! Please, it’s my daughter!” I shout, running over to a large circular desk. A nurse pulls Lily from my arms and places her on a stretcher against the wall.

“Please...”

“Sir, I’m gonna need you to let them take care of her.”

“That’s my little girl.” I can barely speak over the lump in my throat.

“Okay, what is your daughter’s name?”

“Lily.”

The nurse grasps my forearm, leads me over to the room they’ve taken Lily to, and stands with me outside the room.

“Can you tell us what happened?”

Nodding, I scrub a hand over my face, trying to keep my shit together.

“Yeah, my mom was babysitting her and said that she threw up around noon. Gave her some Tylenol and put her down on the couch. Her fever was at 101 when I picked her up. I got her into bed when we got home, and she vomited again and her fever spiked to 103.”

“Okay, and how was she acting until you brought her in?”

“Fine. Tired, but okay. When she threw up the second time, she said her head hurt.”

“Give me just a moment.”

She moves into the room, leaving me alone. I drop into a chair outside the door and lower my head into my hands. Taking a deep breath, I pray for my little girl, needing her to be okay. A doctor walks into the room a few minutes later and a good twenty minutes pass while I sit there, slowly losing my mind, before the same nurse comes back out to me.

“Your daughter is asking for you, Mr.…”

“Jackson. Levi Jackson. She’s awake?”

“Yes, Mr. Jackson. Your little girl is going to be just fine.”

Practically running over the nurse to get to the door, I step into the room and am almost brought to my knees at the sight of Lily sitting up in bed with a small bottle of water in her hands. I’m at the bed in only a couple of strides and sit next to her, running my hand over her head and kissing her face.

“Oh, baby, you scared the hell outta me.”

“Daddy, you said a bad word. Owe me a buck.”

Chuckling, I pull away from her and turn to the doctor. “How is she?”

“Your little lady is going to be fine. She has a massive double ear infection. Generally, they cause a fever and vomiting, but we’ve started her on antibiotics. In about a week she’ll be good as new.”

I blow out a deep breath and I can’t help breaking into a smile.

“Oh, thank God.”

The doctor excuses himself to get a prescription and her paperwork, and the nurse comes over to the bed to check on Lily.

“So, sweetheart, you feeling a little better?” she asks softly, brushing her blonde hair over her shoulder.

Why did I just notice that?

Shaking my head, I watch her interact with Lily, smiling when I hear my sweet girl’s giggle. I try to find the nurse’s name tag, but it’s out of my line of sight.

“I’m sorry, I never asked your name,” I say.

“Oh. I’m Emerson Reese. I’m actually a nursing student here.”

“Emerson. Well, it’s nice to meet you. Thank you for taking care of my baby.”

“It was my pleasure.” Emerson smiles softly, and I take in the sparkling blue of her eyes, framed with dark lashes. I reach out and she shakes my hand, her warm one fitting perfectly in mine.

What the hell is wrong with me?