He and I. We haven't done the whole past situation. He doesn't know everything about mine, and although Dani told me about him being undercover, I haven't asked him about it. The truth is, we don't know everything about each other, and that's a conversation we'll have to have.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"We're going to have to talk about it at some point."
Our eyes meet, and I take the strength I need from his level gaze. "We will, but we also don't have to rush it."
My throat moves up and down as I swallow roughly. "That sounds good."
Closing my eyes, I fall back against the mattress and take a breath, counting to ten. This relaxation technique I learned in therapy has been one of the things that has gotten me through the lonely days and nights as I've processed what happened to me before I met Dime.
"They mentioned you'll get to go home today," he says, clearing his throat. "Do you want to come home with me?" He asks it in a careful way, like he's afraid I'm going to bolt at the mention of leaving the hospital. "You can stay with me for a couple hours, you can stay forever. I just need to make sure you're safe, and I want you to feel that way."
My heart is thumping in my chest as I agree. "I'd love to come home with you. I just need to go get my clothes and stuff."
"Let me have Dani do it. I know she'd love to help you. It'll give her something to do."
My best friend is probably losing her fucking mind. I haven't spoken with her since all this went down. I do remember that she texted me, but I don't think I answered her. "That's a good idea, please ask her to get my laptop and everything around it. I'll need that to do lesson plans and grade papers."
Now that he seems to have a job that can keep his mind off of me in this bed, he's laser focused. This is what I love most about him. He pays attention, he knows what others need, and he's not afraid to jump in and make sure things are taken care of.
"I'm gonna walk outside and call her. I'll be right back." He drops a kiss to my cheek, and it's so sweet that it almost makes me cry.
There hasn't been a lot of sweetness and softness in my life. I've wanted it more often than I've even admitted to myself, but I haven't been able to believe it might actually happen. But this man? He makes me believe that it can. When I see his back leave the room, I allow myself a moment.
I sob as the memories of what happened in my classroom come back to me. It's the last thing in a long line of shit, and I just have to let it out. I'm holding the pillow in front of me, burying my face in the fabric because I never let others see me cry. Never do I want to make myself vulnerable because I've learned that being vulnerable can be used against you.
But that's when I hear it. A groan that sounds like a kicked puppy.
Then Dime is on the bed, scooping me up in his arms, holding me against his strong chest. And that's where I let myself fall apart, because I know the man holding me will always put me back together again.
Four
Dime
I don't think I've ever been so pissed off in my entire life. When I walked into the hospital room and saw Allison falling apart, it's as if I fell apart too. The last few years have been rough, but she's been the one to keep me grounded when it felt like everything else was chaos around me.
Which is why I'm standing in the doorway to my bedroom, watching her sleep.
A few hours ago we brought her home, and I helped her get the personal stuff that Dani left situated. Then she'd fallen in between my sheets, and promptly went to sleep.
She looks peaceful now, her dark hair fanned out against my pillow, her face relaxed in a way it hasn't been since I picked her up from the hospital. The bruise on her temple has darkened, and every time I see it, I want to put my fist through a wall. Or better yet, through Logan's face.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I step away from the door, pulling it closed most of the way. Devil's name flashes across the screen.
"Yeah," I answer, keeping my voice low.
"I'm outside. Need to talk to you about something."
I glance back at the bedroom door. "Give me a minute."
Devil's already sitting on my couch when I let him in, which means he used the spare key I gave him years ago. That's the thing about being in an MC, privacy is a suggestion, not a guarantee. But I trust Devil with my life, and more importantly, I trust him with Allison's.
"She sleeping?" he asks, nodding toward the hallway.
"Yeah. Finally."
He runs a hand over his face, and I can see the tension in his shoulders. Whatever he's got to tell me, it's not good. "We looked into Logan's family like you asked."
