A small, almost shy smile curved his lips. “I do. I am. I just… I never thought you could feel the same way. I mean, look at me.” He gestured to himself with his free hand. “I’m a mess. I’m broken. I didn’t think anyone could ever love me like this, especially not someone as amazing as you.”
“You’re not broken,” I said fiercely, ignoring the pain to reach up and cup his cheek. “You’re the strongest, bravest, most incredible man I’ve ever met. I’m in awe of you, Forest. Of your resilience, your strength. You amaze me every single day.”
He let out a shaky breath, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I don’t feel very strong or brave most of the time. I feel scared. Uncertain. Like I’m constantly on the verge of losing control.”
“But you keep going,” I said softly, stroking my thumb over his cheekbone. “You keep fighting, even when it’s hard. Even when it hurts. That’s what makes you so incredible, Forest. That’s one of the many, many reasons why I love you.”
A soft sob escaped him and he leaned into my touch, his eyes fluttering closed. “I love you too, Nash. So much. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You’ll never have to find out,” I promised, my own voice thick with emotion. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m yours, Forest. For as long as you’ll have me.”
He opened his eyes, meeting my gaze with an intensity that took my breath away. “Forever,” he whispered. “I want you forever.”
My heart soared, a joyous warmth spreading through me that made the pain fade into the far, far distance. He leaned down, careful of my injuries, and pressed his lips to mine in a soft, sweet kiss that held the promise of forever. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine, our breaths mingling. “What do we do now?” he asked softly.
“Well, first I need to get out of this hospital bed,” I said with a wry chuckle that turned into a wince as pain lanced through my chest. “And then, we start our life together. Really together.”
He smiled, a real smile this time, one that lit up his whole face. “I like the sound of that.”
“Me too.” I tugged on his hand, urging him closer. “Come here. I need to hold you.”
He hesitated for only a moment before carefully climbing onto the narrow hospital bed beside me, mindful of my injuries. Oh, it still hurt, but I ignored it, overrode it with the same mind-over-matter mindset that had gotten me through all my years in the Army.
I wrapped my arm around him as he settled his head on my shoulder, his body molding to mine like he was always meant to be there.
And maybe he was. Maybe this was exactly where we were both supposed to be. Together, in each other’s arms, ready to face whatever challenges life threw our way.
I pressed a kiss to the top of his head, breathing in the scent of his shampoo. “I love you,” I murmured. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much.”
He tilted his head back to look at me, his eyes shining with love and wonder. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
FOREST
As much as I wanted to be at the hospital twenty-four-seven with Nash, I couldn’t. I didn’t like the smells, and the weight of everything was a lot. Nash was going to need a few months to recover from the break in his leg and the punctured lung, so I decided to do everything I could to get the house ready for him. His doctor told him he would be released within the next forty-eight hours, as long as there were no infection complications.
Which meant it was up to me to fix things.
The stress of it all was weighing heavily on me. I could feel a heavy flare coming on, but if I could get everything done before it happened, Nash would be able to come home and rest and not worry about the house.
By the time I was finished scrubbing the kitchen floor, my hands were trembling so hard I couldn’t keep a grip on the sponge. Flopping onto my backside, I pressed my shoulders to the cabinet and closed my eyes.
It was hard to accept that this would never get easier. That even on good days, something as simple as scrubbing the floor could trigger my body to fall apart. My stomach was roiling from the pressure of it all when I heard the doorbell going off.
There wasn’t a chance I would be able to get up, so I said a prayer that the person at the door wasn’t Tameron and shouted, “Come in!”
There was a lengthy pause, then I heard the door open and a familiar, lopsided gait crossing the floor. Creek appeared a moment later, his brow furrowed until he saw me on the floor. His face slipped into a mask of worry as he started rushing forward, but I managed to lift a hand and shake my head.
“Relax. I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” he said, his voice gruff and tight.“You’re on the damn floor, Forest.”
He wasn’t wrong. I was on the floor, and I was probably pale, and my hands were shaking so hard I couldn’t lift all my fingers all the way. But this was my new normal. “I exhausted myself trying to get the floors clean.”
He stormed over, more slowly this time, and knelt beside me. “Why the fuck are you washing them?”
“Because Nash is coming home soon, and I want the place to be clean enough that he won’t stress about it.”
