Twenty-four hours ago, I wouldn’t have had an answer for her. Hell, I would have bet money against anyone being willing to make an illegal border crossing to help me. But now, the words come easily. “Because the entire time she’s known me, I’ve been too broken to care about anything—or anyone—but you. I pushed Jasper away when he needed me most. I managed to save Connor’s life—but only because I had some powerful help. Those people in there? They’re my family. Yours too. If you want them to be.”
Dr. Reyes takes a step closer, but I wave him off. Grace’s eyes shine with tears. Again, I wait for her to find her voice. To tell me to open the door or beg Reyes to get her the fuck out of here.
Her fingers tighten on mine. “Are you and Parker…together?”
I’d laugh if it weren’t for the despair I find in the depths of her blue-green eyes. Keeping my gaze on hers, I bring her hand to my lips and press a gentle kiss to her palm.
“No, darlin’. There never has been—and never will be—anyone else for me but you.”
Grace
Relief swells in my throat, the lump so large, for a moment, it’s hard to breathe. AJ has been so focused on me since he arrived, I shouldn’t have worried. But I don’t know him. Even the small parts of him that are vaguely familiar—his scent, the way he runs his hand through his hair when he’s frustrated—could be nothing more than my own desperate need to find connection.
“Grace?” Dr. Reyes hovers behind my husband, disapproval tugging at his lips. “If you are not ready, I will take you to the atrium until everyone leaves.”
AJ squeezes my hand. “Say the word, and I’ll kick ‘em all out.”
Though I’m terrified of everything right now, knowing AJ trusts these people—that he considers them family—provides a small measure of comfort.
“I’ll…try. But…” Tugging AJ closer, I lower my voice to a whisper. “Help me stand up?”
“You won’t get dizzy?” His brows furrow as his deep blue eyes search mine. “The doc said you weren’t ready to walk on your own yet.”
“She’s not,” Reyes snaps. “Grace is still my patient, and I will have you removed from this clinic if you put her recovery in danger.”
The frustration simmering inside me—being stuck in this chair, my broken brain, my weakened body—boils over. I narrow my eyes at the doctor, and though my head aches with the effort, it’s worth it to see the surprise on his face.
“Not…on my own.” I turn back to AJ, a mild zap flipping the world upside down for a moment until I blink hard. “With…you.”
The love shining in his gaze tugs on my heart. He pushes to his feet and stands toe-to-toe with the doctor. “Was her CT scan clear?”
Reyes purses his lips, then nods. “Yes. No bleeding, swelling, or clots. Marta will come in soon to remove the bandage. The incision is healing well, and I used a strong mesh over the fractured bone. As long as she is not in danger of falling, she can bathe, wash her hair…and fly. Just be sure the plane does not rise above ten thousand feet. And she should still see a neurologist as soon as possible.”
The very idea of washing my hair is so exciting, I almost forget about the people waiting on the other side of the door.
Until AJ squeezes my shoulder gently. “Okay, darlin’. Let’s try this. But if you get too dizzy, you tell me. Deal?”
At my nod, AJ wraps an arm around my waist and slowly lifts me out of the chair. The hallway tilts and spins for a few seconds, but then rights itself as I find my footing. My first couple of steps are little more than me sliding the hospital slippers across the polished tile, but after that, I manage something that might almost be a shuffle. It helps that AJ is supporting at least half my weight as he reaches for the door.
My stomach flips. AJ’s brother and his friends will expect me to talk. To be…me. Or at least to be…someone. But maybe being the woman who didn’t want to meet them sitting in a wheelchair—who didn’t want their pity—will be enough. For now.
We stop in front of a man who looks so much like AJ, if he hadn’t already told me this was his twin, I’d think I was seeing double. It’s a little dizzying—or maybe that’s just the vertigo again—but I blink hard until some of the subtle differences between them come into focus. He’s broader than AJ. Weathered. And are those…scars high on his cheek?
“Grace, this is Jasper,” AJ says. “Don’t let him fool you into believing he’s the older one. I got him beat by five minutes.”
Jasper doesn’t say anything right away. He watches me with keen eyes—not quite mirrors of his brother’s, but close.
“Hi, Grace.” His voice is gentle. Slower than AJ’s. Like he’s trying not to spook this wild, skittish thing in front of him. “Sorry if we scared you earlier. We were fixin’ to be outta here before you got back. Maybe…uh…meet you one at a time later tonight.”
I want to tell him it’s okay. I even part my lips to try. But only a shallow breath escapes before my throat tightens and my heartbeat starts to pound hard enough, I wonder if AJ can feel it.
As if he knows I’m panicking, AJ leans down, his lips close to my ear. “You’re doin’ just fine, darlin’.”
The other man in the room keeps his distance. He’s intimidating. Tall, strong, with silver threading both his beard and his dark brown hair. Older than everyone else, with ages of pain in his eyes.
“I’m Connor Davis. I don’t know if it helps any, but you didn’t know me…before. This is the first time we’re meetin’. AJ saved me, my fiancée Isabel, and her—our—kid from some pretty bad guys a few months back.”
“Connor’s had more CT scans than he can count,” AJ says with a smile. “He thought we had at least half an hour before Reyes brought you back to the room.”
