Preston's Honor(93)

Dios Mío, dios Mío, mi hijo. It was going to run over my baby. It was going to hit him. Oh dear God, no, por favor. No, please, no please, dios Mío no.

I wasn’t going to make it. I wouldn’t reach him in time. My only chance was to plow into Hudson and throw him out of the way. It was my only chance, but I was still so far away. With one mighty burst of adrenalin, I shot onto the soft dirt of the farmland.

It happened in the space of three heartbeats. Hudson suddenly paused and reached his hand out, turned left, still in the path of the machine, but heading away from it now, just enough, just the two inches that gave me a burst of hope. My body slammed into his tiny one as I used my arms to push him with all my might right before I crashed to the ground hard and curled into a ball, rolling to the side as far as I could with the wind knocked from my lungs.

I waited for the crushing pressure of the wheels, but they moved right past me. I felt the heat from the huge machine as the brakes squeaked and shuddered and came to a stop next to where I lay on my side in the dirt.

I was crying and shaking and sucking in huge gulps of air. The driver had finally seen us.

Footsteps pounded the earth and someone was scooping me into his arms. “The baby,” I cried. “The baby.”

“Joaquin’s got him,” Preston said, his voice raspy and panicked. “He’s okay. He’s crying—a nice, strong cry. He sounds mad. Can you hear him?” Yes, I could. The cry that told me he’d been scared but not injured. I knew his every cry. I was his mother. I was his mother. “He sounds like the night he was born, doesn’t he? Doesn’t he, Lia? That strong, fierce wail. He’s okay. You saved his life. You saved him, Annalia.”

“Holy shit!” I heard as the driver of the truck rushed to where I lay in the dirt. “Man, I only looked down for a minute. The gas pedal was sticking and I . . . fuck, I didn’t even see them.” He sounded almost as panicked as Preston.

“We’re all right, Tom. Just leave the machine where it is for now, okay? You can finish up tomorrow. It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.”

He paused for a second. “I’m real sorry, ma’am. God, I’m just . . . Are you sure you’re okay?”

I was still crying but I managed to nod my head and offer him a small smile, before I looked up at Preston. “I would have died for him,” I said, searching his eyes with mine. “I would have gladly died for my baby, Preston. I was ready to. I didn’t hesitate, not even for a second.”

Preston used his thumb to wipe something from my cheek, his brow furrowed and his eyes still holding the bright sheen of panic. I could feel his big body shaking beneath mine. “I know, Annalia. Did you doubt it?” His hands moved over me as if checking me for injuries. “Does anything hurt?”

I looked back over my shoulder to where Joaquin was holding Hudson, bouncing him on his hip while Tracie checked him over. Rosa and Alejandro were with them, too, Rosa murmuring soft words to Hudson, and Alejandro standing with his hand on Rosa’s shoulder.

I focused back on my own body, in order to answer Preston’s question. I felt a sharp throb in my ankle, but the rest of me seemed to be fine. “Just my ankle,” I said, straightening my leg out from under me. Preston picked me up and took me over to Hudson. Oh, how I needed to see for myself that he was okay.

I ran my hand over his head, leaning in and kissing his soft cheek, inhaling his scent and reassuring myself that he was okay. “Mama,” he said, and I burst into tears.

“Yes, baby. I’m your mama. I’m your mama, sweet boy.”

“Co!” Hudson said exuberantly. I smiled and looked up at Preston in confusion. He shrugged slightly, smiling down at me.

Hudson pointed his chubby finger to the left, in the direction he’d turned at the very last second, the two or three steps that had saved our lives. “Co,” he insisted again.

I tilted my head, a foggy feeling of wonder falling over me. “Are you saying, Cole, baby boy?”

I felt Preston’s arms tense under me, and Hudson grinned. “Co,” he affirmed. And seemingly satisfied, he pointed toward the house.

“Yes,” I murmured shakily. “Yes, I’d like to go home, too.”

**********

“Here you go, mija,” Rosa murmured, smoothing her hand over my hair as she handed me the cup of tea.

I smiled as I took a sip. “Thank you, Rosa.”

“How’s your ankle?”

I glanced at it where it rested, elevated on a pillow. It was red and slightly puffy, but the ice I’d applied had reduced most of the swelling, and the two Tylenol I’d taken had lessened the discomfort. I was almost certain it wasn’t broken, although if it got worse in the morning, I’d see a doctor. For now, I just wanted—needed—to be in the same house as Hudson. “It’s fine.”

Rosa sat on the edge of the bed, and we both looked up when my mama stopped in the doorway, standing there twisting her hands and looking as if she wasn’t sure she should be there or not. “Come in, Mama,” I said softly.

Mrs. Sawyer had left an hour before for San Francisco. She had wanted to cancel the trip after the traumatic events of the day, but Preston had assured her everything was fine and the time away would be good for her. I’d been relieved to have the house to ourselves.

My mama entered the room and sat at the end of the bed, and Rosa smiled at her and then turned her face to me, patting my leg gently. “Preston’s putting Hudson to bed. When I passed the nursery, Hudson was demanding another book. It seems he’s taking advantage of the extra attention.”