Her bottom lip trembles and it breaks my heart. I reach up to swipe some of the tears off her face.
“You were my birthday present. The only one I’ve ever had.”
“I know.” She mouths, turning her face into my hand. I wait until her tears have stopped and wipe them away with my palm.
“Will you wait for me?”
“What?”
“Will you wait to run again until I’m healed? So I can chase you?”
“Yes.” Her face crumbles, and her voice cracks, but she says, “I’ll wait.”
“Good bunny.” I smile and let myself drift off.
When I wake again, Elodie’s asleep, clutching my hand. There’s a shadowy figure in the corner and another hovering in the door.
Damien says, “I heard you were shot. Atticus says you won’t die.”
I lean my head back so I can look at him. “Not today.”
He nods and leaves. Kaiser lingers in the doorway for a moment. “I’m sorry, brother.”
I narrow my eyes at him. I slowly move the hand connected to the IV and place it on Elodie’s head.
“I nearly got you both killed. I’ll never forgive myself.”
“I’m hard to kill. But you made my woman cry.”
“I didn’t know those goons were after her.” He swears at himself. “I should’ve known.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” I rasp. The anger I felt when I came home and learned what he did was still there. At the time, I had been focused on hunting Elodie down with the tracker I had on her phone.
And now she’s beside me, unhurt. Kaiser and I are brothers, but Elodie comes first. I won’t forgive him unless she does.
I tell him that, and he says, “I’ll make it up to you.”
“To her,” I correct, and he sighs. But then he nods. He shuts the door, but if I know him, he’ll keep watch outside our door. He’ll stay there, guarding us all night.
It’s not enough to forgive him for trying to separate me and my woman, but it’s a start.
The following day, I make them move me back home. Elodie fusses, but Atticus allows it. I’m healing just fine, and I’ll sleep better in my own bed with Elodie curled next to me.
It all goes smoothly until Kaiser insists on staying to guard me. Elodie doesn’t like it.
“You’re on her People She Wants to Kill List,” I tell Kaiser. The painkillers Atticus has me on make me talk.
“Really?” Kaiser gives Elodie a look.
She sucks in a breath. She’s still afraid of him, a little bit.
“He won’t hurt you,” I tell Elodie. “Ever again. I’ll kill him if he does.”
They both eye each other warily, but now everything’s out in the open. It might be the drugs talking, but I feel good. This is progress.
I sit on the couch with Elodie cuddled close. Kaiser takes a lounge chair and scowls at the TV.
“What is this shit?” He points to the screen, where a hardworking CEO has come back home to the small town of Hollydale to save her family’s Christmas inn.
