The Billionaire Playboy's Regret (Lark and Max)

Entering the hospital waiting area over eight hours later, Lark was feeling exhausted. She'd been in constant communication with her parents, Max, and Margot, yet she felt out of the loop and lost.

"Daddy?" Lark called her father who was sitting with his hands in his head on a row of chairs. "Where is everyone?"

"Lark," he got up and hugged her tight, lifting her clear off the ground. "Thank you for coming back. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too."

"Gracie was taken down for the scans they wanted to do. Your mom and Fallon are down in the cafeteria making Johan eat. I can't eat or leave. If she comes back up here and we're not here, she'll be upset." "Did they let her wake up again?"

"They did but she's really groggy. She knows Sawyer is dead. His last wishes were a cremation, and we did it before we even held Mom's funeral," Grady spoke quietly, "but we have his ashes waiting for her to do with as he wanted. I let her know we didn't do the funeral without her. She was pretty distraught." "I bet."

"She called me daddy," he said blinking back tears, "and then called your mom, Mom. She said she could hear us talking to her and how your Mom made her feel loved."

"Really?"

"Yes." Lark wiped her eyes.

"She's really emotionally volatile," Grady whispered. "All the trauma is coming at her at once. We've spent a month getting used to it but she's starting at ground zero."

"I called my counsellor, the one I see who helps me with the PTSD from the attempted rape. I asked her if she knew anyone local here in Houston who could help with trauma processing. She is going to send me a list of her colleagues. I brought Max to one of my sessions with her."

"Did you? How did that go?"

"He said he realized now why I didn't want to do a bunch of other therapy. She's pretty intense. I go to her once biweekly, and it can be a lot."

"I remember the first time we went there with you, and I instantly hated her. I found her so cold until I realized she was giving you what you needed. She read you like a book."

"She did and still does," Lark sighed. "Max has a lot of guilt he needs to work through. She's helping us navigate it." "Good. How's he feeling?"

"He's doing really well," she rested her head on her dad's shoulder as they sat back down on the chairs. "He's putting in the work. If he's complaining about it, it's not to me. I haven't heard a single complaint," she paused, "Well, other than when I make him unsalted and unbuttered popcorn for movie nights. That gets complaints."

"You may as well eat Styrofoam." Grady made a face.

"Ha. He said the same thing," Lark laughed at her father. "He's missing you and Olivier a lot. I can tell. You guys are often his sounding boards. Johan is all wrapped up here too."

"I'm sorry," Grady said quietly.

"No, Dad. He gets it and so do I. We both agree this time, relying on one another has been good for us. It's made us stronger as a couple. We have years of friendship behind us but now, we have more and we're listening to each other and really communicating in a way we never did before. It's good. Though," she sighed, "when he wears his retainer, he snores loud, Dad. I mean loud."

Her dad laughed, "I know. We were on a camping trip one time, and he kept me and Olivier up all night. You'll need some noise cancelling headphones."

"Who can sleep with those on?"

"I do," he laughed, "your mom snores."

"I heard you, Grady Hoffman," Everly walked into the room. "I don't snore. I provide evidence I'm still alive,

so you don't worry about me. I'm considerate," she winked as she pulled Lark up into her arms and

hugged her tight. "Hi sweetie, how was the flight?"

"Not bad. Hardest part was waiting. I wanted to get here."

Fallon grunted, "I hate flying when it's that time of the month. Yuck."

Grady made a face and shook his head, "too much info, Fallon."

"I'm just saying, I feel bad for Lark."

"Why?" Lark looked at her in confusion.

"We've been synced since I was twelve. Didn't you hate having to change in the airplane toilet?"

Lark made a face, "Fallon, I'm not on my period."

"Are we out of sync? Since when? Mori and Ollie are both on theirs too." She looked at her mom, "you

too, right? It's why Dad and Olivier always said it was like entering hostile territory. All of us are synced up together like a weird version of a sci-fi film. Even Margot was synced with us."

Everly shrugged, "I started yesterday."

"Me too," Fallon waved at Lark and then her eyes widened, "are you pregnant?"

"No. We used protection and," she made a face. "We haven't been intimate since before all of this

started."

"You've skipped a period, Lark," Fallon pushed it and then dug her phone out and started texting furiously. "What are you doing?"

"Asking Margot if she started."

"She did. She had Max bring me wine yesterday because she said I was cranky. She must have

presumed it was my cycle. "She staggered backwards and sat down, "I'm late."

Grady reached out and took her hand, "hey, it's been a crazy month. Fallon, ask your new husband," he said the word with a sneer which didn't meet his eyes as Fallon hit her hip into his, "to stop by the pharmacy to pick Lark up a test."

"Why my husband?" Fallon frowned up at her dad.

we

"Because if we ask Ollie to grab one, she's going to tell the entire clan. I'm certain the person Lark wants to tell first is her fiancé. Heriberto can keep his mouth shut. He's particularly good at keeping secrets," he shot her an amused glance.

"I can't be pregnant," Lark whispered her eyes watering. "We were careful."

"Were you?" Fallon asked with a lift of her eyebrow as she sent her new husband a request making absolutely certain he knew it wasn't for her. "Maybe Max pulled a Grady."

"Hey!" her father gave weak protest while Everly snorted. He then hooked his elbow around Lark, "don't listen to them." Their conversation was halted by the clanging of wheels as a gurney with Gracie on it came down the hall.

Gracie appeared to be awake, and she noted Lark right away. Gracie's fingers were reaching for her, and Lark giggled as she trailed behind the gurney into the room. She waited impatiently as the team hooked her back up and then she was right next to Gracie and hugging her over the bed.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke."

Gracie gripped her fingers, "is Max, okay? They said he suffered a heart attack."

"Heart attack and bypass surgery. He's back in Dallas doing cardiac rehab. He's going to make a full recovery." She stared into her sister's eyes, "like you will."

"I dreamed of you, a lot," Gracie said seriously. "You and Fallon and," she looked past Lark's shoulder to Everly and Grady," and your parents."

"Your parents too," she sat on the edge of the bed.

"I know my mom was here." Gracie said suddenly, "I don't know how I know but I know she was, and I know you made her leave so she wouldn't upset me. It's true right?"

Lark shrugged, "she asked for money, so Olivier gave her a lump sum and asked her to leave you alone." "Is Doug in jail?" with every passing second Gracie was becoming more coherent and the questions were coming in fast. When Lark hesitated, she stared at her, "I know you, of all people Lark, won't lie or sugarcoat things. Tell me, please."

"He's dead. Pissed off a guy in the jail first night he was there and was stabbed to death."

"Good." Gracie's lips were flat and then she shot startled eyes at Lark, "I'm sorry. I know you must have cared for him."

"Nope. He destroyed everything I felt for him when he screwed his assistant. Scaring my Nana into having a heart attack, then what he did to you and Sawyer, he deserved far worse than being shanked. I'm not sad. You don't need to apologize."

"My Dad is gone," Gracie's eyes were watering, "but know he would want me to embrace being a Hoffman. He told me how much he was valuing even the short conversations he was

having with you all." She looked

around the room. She took a breath, "atso, Lark, I heard you and Max."

"You heard us what?"

"Telling Ollie and Johan to tell me the truth."

"Oh snap," Fallon whispered behind them.

"Thank you," Gracie held her hand tightly, "thank you for knowing I would need to know."

"He actually is going to tell you," she noted Gracie's surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes. He told us and has been telling us constantly how he wants to get it off his chest and start fresh with you." Gracie sighed, "oh thank god. I've been worried about how I was going to even look at him knowing what I knew."

"I can't believe how lucid you are right now," Fallon plopped on the other side of the bed near Gracie. "You went from zombie to alive in a day."

"Apart from a bad headache and a sore throat, I don't actually feel too bad. My body feels tired, and the nurse said my muscles are atrophied a bit."

"We've been doing your physio exercises with you," Everly said.

Gracie smiled, "I know. I heard you," she stared at Everly her eyes bright, "and while I wasn't able to say anything then, I was screaming in my head thanking you for loving me when you didn't need to." Everly rounded the bed and kissed Gracie's forehead softly, "did you know we tried so many times to have another child? We weren't successful because you were out there waiting for us to find you, sweetie."

"It's okay then, I called you Mom earlier?"

"Nothing would make me happier." Tears streamed down Everly's face. "We will be here with you as long as you need us to be."

"My heart is broken without my dad," she admitted quietly, "but I know this is what he wants for me, to be with my sisters and my parents."

Lark brushed tears off her own cheeks, "holy cow I can't stop crying again."

"Preggers," Fallon nudged her over the bed.

Gracie's eyes flashed at Lark, "really?"

"No!" she protested despite the four people in the room all laughing. "I don't think so. Maybe?" she threw her hands up," there was one night we didn't use the condom."

"I knew it!" Fallon jumped off the bed excitedly. "Can't wait for Heriberto to get here with the test."

"I'm not taking it," Lark shook her head.

"Burying your head in the sand isn't going to make it go away," Grady spoke clearing his throat as if overwhelmed with the emotions of his girls all together and alive and well.

"No but when I take the test, Max will be waiting with me to see the results. Dad was right. I want Max to

be the first to know. It can wait until I go back to Dallas."

"You're going to make us wait?" Everly protested by shaking Lark's shoulders.

"Max comes first."

Gracie grinned as Everly and Grady groaned, "then we need me to get the hell out of here so we can go

home to Dallas."

A happy cheer filled the room as they all nearly piled on top of Gracie to hug her.