"He's coming here?"
"Wild horses couldn't stop him. His exact words were 'if that boy dies before I can thank him, I'll kill him myself.'"
That sounds like my father.
A nurse appears in the doorway. "Ms. Plummer? Mr. Garrett is asking for you."
I'm moving before she finishes speaking.
He looks smallerin the hospital bed.
It's a strange thought. Boone Garrett is six foot one of solid muscle, a man who fills every room he enters. But lying there with tubes and monitors and white bandages stark against his skin, he looks... human. Vulnerable.
Alive.
I cross to the bed, taking the chair someone has placed beside it. His eyes are closed, his breathing steady. The monitors beep in a rhythm that sounds like survival.
"Are you going to sit there staring, or are you going to hold my hand?"
I jump. His eyes are still closed, but his mouth has curved into a faint smile.
"I thought you were asleep."
"I was. Then I heard you breathing and decided sleeping could wait." He opens his eyes, those ice blue depths finding mine immediately. "Hi."
"Hi." My voice cracks. "You're an idiot."
"So I've been told." His hand moves on the blanket, reaching for me. I take it, lacing my fingers through his. "You're alive."
"Because of you." The tears I've been holding back for hours finally spill over. "You took two bullets for me, Boone. Two."
"Would have taken more." His thumb strokes across my knuckles. "Would have taken all of them."
"That's not romantic. That's insane."
"It's tactical." His smile widens slightly. "Can't protect you if I'm not between you and the threat."
"You can't protect me if you're dead."
"Minor flaw in the plan." He tugs on my hand, pulling me closer. "Come here."
"You're injured."
"I'm not that injured. Come here."
I lean forward, careful of his wounds, and rest my forehead against his. His breath is warm on my face. His hand comes up to cup the back of my head, holding me there.
"I meant what I said." His voice is low, rough. "Before everything went dark. I meant it."
"The part about me being your chaos?"
"The part about loving you." His fingers tighten in my hair. "I know it's fast. I know it doesn't make sense. I don't care. I've spent my whole life planning for every contingency, and you're the one thing I never saw coming. The one thing I don't want to live without."
I pull back enough to look at him. Really look. At the lines of pain around his eyes, the exhaustion pulling at his features, the absolute certainty in his gaze.
"I love you too." The words come easier than I expected. "I think I started falling for you the moment you blocked my car with your truck and looked at me like I was both your greatest asset and your worst nightmare."
"You were. You are." He pulls me down, capturing my mouth in a kiss that tastes like hospital and relief and home. "Move in with me."
