by Luna, David
Earlier that evening, the doctor had ordered CAT and SPECT scans, as well as an MRI of Braden’s brain. Though they couldn’t be 100 percent certain until Braden woke up, the results were negative for brain damage and it didn’t appear that he would have any permanent impairment. The hospital staff remained vigilant with his care, and Cade could tell by their demeanor that they felt positive it was only a matter of time until he woke. They simply waited for Braden’s mind to recognize that his body was ready. As a result, Cade felt more at ease and began to relax around the caring staff. He couldn’t keep himself from softening toward them as they doted on his mate, and if he was being honest, they doted on him as well.
Braden had been in the hospital going on 36 hours. He couldn’t remember ever feeling so mentally and physically exhausted. He could feel the stress of the last several days weighing him down. His reserves were about depleted, and he knew he needed to sleep so that he could be at his best when Braden woke. Feeling restless and craving the intimacy of touch, he lay down next to Braden, curling his body around him. He settled in to talk to him and touch him, made sure Braden could feel him, hear him, and smell him.
In lieu of his pillow, Cade snugged an arm under Braden’s head, his lips whisper close to Braden’s temple. He snaked his other arm across Braden’s lower abdomen, avoiding his bruised ribs, and clasped his boy’s hand gently in his much larger one. Cade’s tension fled as he held Braden in his arms. He finally felt the confidence that Braden’s medical staff had been trying to instill in him. Weary beyond his imagination, he let down his guard and allowed himself the sleep his body needed to refuel.
Having finally succumbed to exhaustion, Cade dreamed of Braden, healthy and whole. He could see Braden’s smile, hear his beautiful voice, and feel his boy’s warm smooth skin against his own. They were in bed, talking and laughing, holding hands and snuggling. The absence of stress and anxiety in the tableau almost jarring in its peacefulness. Even in the dream, Cade felt that the happiness and tranquility of holding Braden in his arms was somehow symbolic of their future, as yet undefined. He felt the tender clasp of fingers much smaller than his own, squeeze him gently, but failed to recognize it for what it was. Cade slept on as the man he loved more than life itself gripped his hand like a lifeline, as he struggled to pull himself out of the depths of an abyss.
The End, for now.
Protecting Braden: Custos Securities Series Book 2, due out in a few months
Thank you for reading Trusting Cade. This is my debut novel and it’s been a labor of love and angst from the beginning. If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to leave a review.
I welcome contact from readers. You can find me on Facebook; Twitter; and my webpage: http://www.lunadavid.com/.
John, I’d like to thank you for working tirelessly to allow me to pursue my dream. I approached you about it at the end of 2014 and you immediately took me seriously. You believe in me, sometimes more than I believe in myself, and for that, and so many other things, I’m grateful for you.
I’d like to thank my family for being so supportive and my friends as well. Liz, Lizard, my fellow wordsmith, I don’t even know what to say. Thank you doesn’t seem good enough. The list of things you’ve done for me is pretty much endless. You’ve supported my ideas, helped me flesh them out, and put me back on course when I’ve veered too far in the wrong direction. You’ve encouraged me, been my sounding board, and my editor and beta reader all wrapped up in one. You, lady, deserve some sort of award for putting up with my neediness! Thank you, sincerely.
To my wonderful beta readers, thank you so much! Elizabeth Coffey, Becky Ellsworth, Michael Edward McFee, Denise Dechene and Jen Barten. Each and every one of you provided unique and much needed feedback, corrections and ideas on what to do to make my book better, stronger. I appreciate each and every one of you and can’t thank you enough, not only for all the work you did, but for being patient with my endless questions and first time author jitters.
And last, but definitely not least, I’d like to thank my cover artist, Kellie Dennis, at Book Cover by Design (www.bookcoverbydesign.co.uk). Your work is amazing. I was ridiculously demanding and you were ridiculously patient. Thank you, Kellie. I look forward to working with you in the future, if you can put up with me.
Luna David is a wife, a mother of twins, and now, an author. When she’s not begging her little ones to stop--throwing things, hitting each other, pulling the cat’s tail, having meltdowns, screaming, eating stuff off the floor, yelling at each other, playing with their food, running into the street, and destroying the house--you’ll most likely find her writing.
She loves anything book, coffee or dark chocolate related and can’t think of a better way to pass the time than to combine all three. She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t addicted to reading or creating her own stories, if only in her head. It wasn’t until recently that she began to believe she could actually put those stories to paper.
She is blessed enough to have wonderfully supportive family and friends and she counts herself lucky every day that she gets to not only be a stay at home mom to her kids, but to also pursue her dream of becoming a published author.
