“Mr. Graham.” A nurse cradles her clipboard. “Ms. Elliott is stable if you want to see her now.”
Soul plants a hand on my shoulder, nodding before I walk away.
The hallway stretches with every step as the nurse leads me to Willa’s room. Ventilators hiss, and machines beep. I try not to revisit all my bad memories of this place. Mom’s endless cancer treatments, Willa’s mom dying. This building is practically haunted.
When I step into Willa’s hospital room, my stomach clenches. It doesn’t smell like her in here. She doesn’t look like her—so small on the bed. Willa might be a tiny girl, but her smile fills the whole room. Her attitude is endless.
She’s as bright as the sun, but this room is nothing but dull.
The nurse leaves me, and I pull a chair to the side of the bed. Willa’s eyes are closed, but they flutter when I brush my fingers over the back of her hand.
“Dean?” She says my name before her gaze finds me.
Like she seeks me out before she’s fully awake or even realizes what she’s looking for.
Her small fingers twitch beneath mine as she rolls her head to the side. Her gray eyes land on me, and the corner of her mouth curls.
“You’re here.” Her voice is hoarse and whispered.
“Nowhere else I’d rather be.” I thread my fingers through hers, pulling her hand to my lips to kiss the back of it. “How are you feeling, princess?”
“Like I’ve been shot.” Her nose scrunches.
I chuckle. “I bet.”
“Let me guess, you know what that’s like?”
“Been shot a couple of times, and I can honestly say it was nothing compared to seeing you hit.”
“Because you’re big and tough and can handle it better than I can?”
“No, Willa. Because when a bullet hits me, it’s just piercing flesh and bone. But you’re my fucking heart.”
She blinks, and her eyes turn glassy. “That’s tragically romantic.”
“Don’t look so surprised.” I grin.
Willa lets out a little laugh, but her smile quickly fades to a frown. “I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault.” I stand to kiss her forehead, and she pulls me closer, so I sink down onto the bed, cradling her in my arms. “I was so fucking scared that I’d lost you. I’ve never been scared of shit. But seeing you like that…”
I hug her tighter while she wipes the underside of her eyes. I don’t think twice about the damage my world causes me because I can survive it. But to see all this affecting Willa. My club’s war. My battle for my family’s land. Is it worth anything if I lose her?
What’s the end goal here?
“You don’t need to worry about me.” She brushes a finger over the wrinkle between my furrowed brows. “I’mstill here. It’s going to take a lot more than a bullet to keep me away from you now.”
“Like I’d let you go if you tried.”
A smile creeps up her cheeks, brightening them. I pull her wrist to my lips, kissing it. Breathing her in.
“I went and saw my father today,” she whispers, and my whole body stiffens.
“You what?”
“Don’t get all protective. I had to do it on my own.”
“Considering you’re in the hospital, I think it’s fair that I’m feeling a little protective.”
