Her Darkest Road (Roughneck #4) by Nicole Hart Page A

closed.
    “Bells, please. I just want to spend time with my family,” I said as I tucked a strand of her blond hair behind her ear. I watched as her lip trembled slightly, and a tiny tear caught right under her eyelashes.
    “Honey, what’s wrong?” I asked. It seemed to be the same question I asked daily, but never getting an actual answer. I stared at her face. Her skin was flawless, and I remembered how her blue eyes used to shine when she looked at me. I hadn’t seen it in a long time. I missed who she used to be. I ran my hand down her cheek and she slapped it away, and then opened her eyes.
    “I said go home. Just leave,” she said with the familiar cold tone. The tears that threatened to escape her eyes were gone and she was giving me a blank stare. There was no emotion in her voice.
    “Belinda, don’t do this,” I said quietly, trying to stay calm.
    “Go. Home.” she said, and her eyes got so wide - it was as if she was trying to pierce a hole through me.
    “Fine,” I said quietly, and walked to the door. “I’ll be back later.”
    She didn’t reply and I didn’t look back in her direction. I walked out the door and headed around the corner to the nursery window. I scanned the rows of clear baby beds until I found the one with my little angel resting peacefully. Baby Montgomery was written on a note card and taped on the outside of the bed. We were so lucky to have a perfect baby girl. It was a blessing, and Belinda made it seem like a curse. But I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Samantha kick her legs right out of the blanket the nurse had just tucked around her. I chuckled quietly as I watched the nurse cover Samantha two more times, and each time she would wiggle her way out. The nurse finally walked over and took the blanket out and she fell asleep immediately. The nurse just shook her head with a smile and walked back over to the desk. My little girl was tough and determined. I was already a proud daddy.
    I watched her sleeping for a while before I walked into the dim waiting room. I wasn’t ready to go back into Belinda’s room, but I didn’t want to leave the baby either. My eyes got heavier and I drifted to sleep.
    When I woke up, I glanced at my watch and realized I had slept for almost four hours. I jumped up and walked over to the nursery window. Samantha’s bed was empty, but I looked at the rocking chair in the corner and one of the nurses was holding a little pink blanket. She made eye contact with me and I pointed to the empty baby bed. If she was back in the room, I wanted to be there with her. The nurse lifted the bundle slightly and gave me a nod as she continued to rock, letting me know that she was holding my angel. Belinda hadn’t even bothered to get her back. It pissed me off immediately, but then I realized that maybe she had fallen asleep, too. I tried to keep a positive attitude about it as I walked back to the recovery ward and opened Belinda’s door. She was flipping through a magazine and didn’t look up at me.
    “I’m going to call the nurses to bring the baby back in here,” I said as I stared at her, watching her flip the pages.
    “I’m tired though, I need a nap,” she said, still flipping the pages. I wondered if she had bothered to sleep this whole time.
    “Well, you can take a nap, but I want to spend time with our baby,” I said as I pushed the red button.
    “Can I help you?” the voice came over the intercom.
    “Will you bring the baby back please?” I asked.
    “Yes sir,” she said, and I heard a clicking sound.
    A few minutes later, a different nurse wheeled the baby into the room and placed the bed beside Belinda. They exchanged smiles and the nurse left after comparing the bracelets.
    Once the nurse shut the door behind her, Belinda turned on her side, facing away from us as I scooped Samantha into my arms.
    “I’m going to sleep,” Belinda mumbled as she covered her head with the blanket.
    “You do what you need to do,” I