When A Woman Hustles - Danielle Martin (book suggestions .TXT) 📗

the floor as he continued to cry out. Reese was in shock to see him this way. She dropped down next to him, wrapping her arms around him as she cried with him. "I'm so sorry King." tears spilled down her cheeks as she held him. Reese felt his hands slip around her waist, embracing her as he buried his face in her chest, continuing to cry. She closed her eyes, holding him close as they sat in the middle of the street. "I never meant for this to happen to her." he cried as she held him. Reese rubbed the side of his face comforting him, "I know.". She held him, refusing to let him go. They almost lost each other today and that was the scariest moment of her life. She hugged him, closing her eyes. "You saved my life." she whispered into his ear.  "Thank you"... At this very moment, she decided she was never going to let him go. Never.

 

Chapter 23

Chapter 23.

Reese lay back in her hospital bed, her leg hiked up in the air as she thumbed through a women’s health magazine desperate to pass the time. She had been in the hospital almost a full day. The drugs were beginning to kick in so she felt a little less pain. She was more than ready to be discharged so she could get the hell out of this hospital bed. Being cooped up in this room drove her crazy, and she was sick of talking to nurses and detectives. After everything that went down, she wanted to relax and enjoy life. She took a deep breath as she laid her head back, tossing the magazine to the side. Times like this, Reese began to think about what life would have been like if she had an actual family. She had been sitting in this hospital room alone since the moment she was checked in. She was sick of making up excuses as to why she didn’t have any visitors. She looked out the window, wondering what would have happened if Pumpkin completed her mission? Would anyone have shown up to her funeral? Who would have the decency to give her a proper burial? She shook that image out of her head. Reese needed to begin focusing on the bigger things in life, and that was the oxygen in her lungs because she came so close to having that taken away.

The door creeped open. Reese looked up, her heart twisting as she laid eyes on King walking through the door. He stepped inside, a bouquet of colorful flowers in his right hand as he approached. Reese couldn’t do anything but smile as he walked through the door, her entire face lighting up. "Hey babe." she greeted him. Reese had never been so happy to see him. He looked well rested, which warmed her heart because she knew these last few days have been difficult for him. He smirked at her while approaching the foot of her bed. "Hello Reese." He stood over her as she sat up in the hospital bed. Her eyes dropped to the flowers. "Those are for me??" she asked. He nodded his head, walking over to the nightstand placing them next to the bed. "How you feeling?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Doctor said it’s a sprain, but I didn’t break any bones." she looked down at her leg which was tightly wrapped in bandages. He sat down in the chair next to her, taking a deep breath as he looked at her injuries as if he were ashamed. "I'm sorry Reese." he apologized. "I never meant to drag you into this." he looked away while shaking his head. Reese sat forward, placing her finger under his chin so he could look at her. "King, you saved my life." She spoke firmly. Reese did not blame him for Pumpkins actions and she needed him to know that. He looked up at her. “We saved each other." She smiled, stroking the side of his cheek. Reese wanted to be there for him. He needed a shoulder to cry on and she wanted to be that person. She hoped everything that happen didn’t push him away from her. She wanted this with him forever. Her eyes nervously traveled up to meet his. "How is Pumpkin?" she asked, afraid to know the answer. He took another deep breath, dropping his head almost as if he became overwhelmed by the mention of her name. He looked back up, staring straight at the wall. "She made it through surgery. She's in stable condition now. But it's not looking too good for her. The cops are ready to lock her up for attempted murder as soon as she gets out the hospital." His expression was blank, but it was hard to disguise the pain inside his voice. Her heart went out to him. He genuinely and truly loved Pumpkin and it hurt him to see what became of her.

 "I'm sorry baby." she rubbed his back, comforting him. King didn’t deserve this. He was a good man with compassion and a lot of heart. He turned to her, holding her hand as she lay back in the bed.

“Do me a favor, please…”

She held his hand tighter. She would do anything he asked. “Please, Reese. When you talk to the police, please don’t say anything about what happened to Trix. If she goes down for that too, she will never see the light of day again.”

Reese didn’t know what to say. After everything, she couldn’t believe he was still protecting her. Clearly, King had a love deeper for Pumpkin then she would ever be able to understand. “I won’t say anything.” She promised. She meant that.

  “I talked to your friend Jayla.”

Reese was shocked. She hadn’t spoken to Jayla in days and she missed her friend. She wanted nothing more than to apologize to her and tell her she was right. “How did you get in contact with Jayla???” she asked.

  “I have my ways.” He answered. “I talked to your nurse and I didn’t like that you didn’t have anyone coming to visit you. I was able to get Jayla on the phone. She had no idea, but she did want me to tell you she’s on the first flight home from Houston to come see you.”

She could feel her heart warm. Her eyes lit up. Now she had the chance to make things right with Jayla. She was so ecstatic at this very moment and appreciative that King cared about her enough to reach out to her friend.

"My name is Kevin White." he spoke firmly. Reese was caught off guard, as she remembered the name Mr. White. She always wanted to know his real name. "I want you to know the real me." he continued. "Because I... I love you Clareese." He called her by her real name also, which sent shivers up her spine. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Tears brimmed in the corner of her eyes. She never felt this before with any man. Reese leaned over, pressing her lips firmly into his kissing him so passionately as she held him tight. This moment felt so right. "I love you too Kevin." It felt so good hearing his name slip from her lips. She loved King. He loved her. In the end, they had each other. And that’s all that matters. He climbed on top of the hospital bed. She scooted over, giving him room to lay next to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and cuddled behind her pulling her in close. Moments later, they fell asleep in the hospital bed holding each other. She was never letting him go.  It’s amazing what can come from a woman who hustles. Now she had her King. And every King needs his Queen. ..

 

 

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Publication Date: 03-22-2017

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