I was in a hospital room, having fallen asleep after a multitude of tests, my body giving in to the need to rest and recuperate now that I was in a safe environment.
There was a stale taste in my mouth, a needle injected in my skin and hooked to an IV, a faint soreness in my limbs…but at least I was alive.
When the cobwebs clouding my sleepy mind fully dissipated, I recognized a lone figure sitting on a chair in the corner of the room, arms crossed over his chest and gazing up at the ceiling, lost in thought.
“Hunter,” I called out, croaky-voiced.
His head whipped in my direction. The disbelief etched in his features faded away and sheer relief replaced it. He pulsed of yearning as he perused me like he was trying to ensure I was real and actually here, not a figment of his imagination.
“Gabriela.” The tightness leaked from his bunched muscles as he stood up and advanced towards me.
His presence gave me all the strength I needed to roll out of the bed and try to close the distance between us, IV machine and all.
But he reached my bedside first and wrapped his arms around me, a shiver wracking through him. “I’ve missed you.” His tone was ravaged. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Mere hours away from this man felt like an eternity.
“I’ve missed you and I’m so happy to see you.” My words were muffled against his shirt and I fisted the sides of it, keeping him plastered to me. He was never escaping my clutches. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” His mouth trembled as he dotted a fervent kiss on my temple. “I love you and I almost lost you. If I had been any later, I…I…”
I wouldn’t be alive.
He didn’t need to say it. That sentence hung over our heads like a sword.
“But you made it and you helped save me.” I lifted my head from his strong chest to cup his bristly cheek. “No amount of thanking you will be able to convey my gratitude.”
“I never wanted to hear you thanking me for something like that.” He inhaled sharply. “The sight of you fighting for your life…” He shook his head. “It’ll haunt me forever.”
My expression fell. “Let’s not dwell over the what-ifs any longer. I’m here and I’m okay. Let’s focus on that,bello.”
His eyes searched mine desperately and he cupped my face. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore.” I sighed. “And in pain.”
Hunter thumbed my bottom lip and frowned, perturbed.
“I look like a nightmare, don’t I?” Without evaluating my reflection, it was obvious my hair was grossly matted to my scalp, my cheek harboured a bruise, and my bottom lip a cut. “How rude of me. You look handsome as ever and I’ve welcomed you looking like Frankenstein’s monster.”
He puffed out a chuckle, against all odds, but sobered up quickly, pinning me with impassioned blue eyes. “You couldnever look like a nightmare. Even battle-worn, you’re beautiful as ever. I saw the damage you did to him before I arrived. I’m so proud of you, Gabriela.”
I adored this man—who constantly validated, praised, and cherished me—to infinity and beyond. “Luna and I are the luckiest girls alive to have you, Hunt. Speaking of our daughter, how is she?”
I’d been worried sick about my cat. I hoped she wasn’t lost right now. I couldn’t handle that.
“Luna’s okay. As soon as you were taken, she tried to head back in the direction of my home in what I’m assuming was an attempt to alert me or the guards. By the time I arrived on the scene, she trotted over with a limp and coaxed me over to a patch on the road…where I found your fallen bracelet and Tom’s wallet.” Hunter’s jaw clenched. “That’s how I concluded he was responsible. Josh deciphered your location with the help of the tracker in your necklace and I came straight to find you. One of the guards took Luna to the vet. Her leg is sprained. They gave her some medication and put on a cast. It’ll take her a few weeks to heal, but ultimately, she’ll be okay. The last update I received was that she’s at your family’s home with Nonna, desperately waiting for you.”
How I loved my Luna. Despite her own hurt and distress, instincts led her to find Hunter so I could be rescued. But I hated that she got injured. If I could go back in time, I’d slash both of Tom’s eyes and lodge an extra bullet in his skull. Fucking asshole. No one was allowed to lay a hand on my cat. Ever.
“I’m relieved she’s okay. What she witnessed—” I swallowed down my growing ire. “I have no doubt it terrified her.” I couldn’t wait to go home and hug Luna. “You should have seen the way she fought him, Hunter. She nearly took out his eye. I was simultaneously scared for her but proud of her too.”
“She’s resilient and a warrior.” He brushed a kiss on the side of my neck. “Just like her mommy.”
I smiled.
Hunter scooped me up, being mindful of my IV, and sat on the bed, depositing me sideways on his lap. Instantly, my face tucked in the crook of his neck and I relaxed in his arms.
His hand cupped mine underneath, his thumb opening my palm and grazing over the lines. Namely my lifeline. We had many decades ahead of us.
