I reached the door when the pop of gunfire filled the room. Amy stiffened, and I tightened my grip, pushing her against my heart even harder. I needed her to feel how it beat her.
“What?”
“It’s over. Just keep your eyes closed. I’ve got you, and it’s finally over.”
I slid Amy into the back of the car before sliding next to her. “Drive,” I ordered the man in the front. His eyes slid to me, in the rearview window. “You want me to call this in?” he asked his eyes darting to Amy who had curled herself into the car and made her as small as possible.
“Kristoff has taken care of it,” I said quietly as we pulled out from the underground garage. “I don’t think he will be a problem for the foreseeable future. I just want to get Amy out of here.” I paused, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the bruise on Amy’s face. A bruise that Kristoff had put there. Kristoff wouldn’t be problem because he would lay low, but I sure as hell would be a problem for him. He had hit my wife, and left marks on her skin and that would never go unpunished.
But that was a job for a different day. For now, I would let him keep his life.
He nodded his head once and swung his eyes back to the road.
Sighing I turned to my wife, reaching for her. “Are you OK?” As gently as I could, I stroked my fingers on her arm.
She was trembling, shaking as the adrenaline left her body.
“You chose me,” she whispered so quietly that I barely heard her.
“Of course I chose you,” my voice was ragged. Pulling her into myarms, I pressed my lips to her hair. Amy dissolved into tears. Her small hands scrambled against my shirt, which was soon soaked with her tears. I let her cry. Smoothing my hand up and down her back.
“I’ll always choose you Amy.”
Finally, she lifted her face enough for our eyes to meet. “But why? You love Violet.”
“I loved Violet, “I corrected it. “Or at least, I thought I did.”
Her wide, bloodshot eyes studied my face. “But why?”
Catching her face between my palms, I drew our faces close together. “Why?” her lips were right there, and I wanted to kiss them desperately. Only now wasn’t the time. I had too much to make up to her first. “Because you’re my wife, the mother of my son.”
Her face fell. “OK, well thanks.”
I could hear the misery in her voice. The heartbreak. And I had been the one to put it there, over and over again.
Amy had given me everything she had. She had sacrificed her body for me, her safety, and even her sister in a way. She had given me everything, and I had—
“Because I love you.”
Her head snapped up. “You love me?”
I couldn’t help it. I smiled. “Yeah, it took me long enough to realize it, hey?” I tried to make light of the situation and failed.
Amy’s face crumpled again, and she sobbed against my chest.
“Hey, is my love for you so bad?”
“No,” she hiccuped. “I just thought—”
Hooking my thumb under her chin, I tilted up her face. “You thought I would never see what was right in front of my face.” A sad smile curved up my lips. “I almost didn’t. I tried to ignore it. Hell I fought against it with everything I had, but I am so madly in love with you, Amy. I think I have been since the morning you saved my grandfather. You drove me absolutely crazy.” I chuckled, my thumb brushing against her bottom lip which parted. “You still drive me crazy Amy, but I want that. I need that because I fucking love you.”
“I love you too” she whispered it so quietly that I almost missed it. If it hadn’t been for her lips moving, I would have.
“Good.” I couldn’t help but smile. Amy’s eyes darted up to mine and darkened. Did she want me to kiss her?
“What about Violet?”
“You don’t need to worry about that any longer.”
