And that’s heavier than any bag I’ll pack tonight.
“I will,” I promise. “Drink the broth,” I murmur.
Her mouth twitches faintly.
“Bossy,” she whispers.
“Worried,” I correct softly.
She starts to drift again, exhaustion pulling her under.
“Tank,” she says suddenly, just when I think she’s fully asleep. “Come back to me.”
My chest tightens.
I lean down and kiss her sweaty forehead, not caring about the heat, the fever, any of it.
“Nothing will ever keep me from coming home to you, baby,” I say against her clammy skin. “I’ve got a lifetime of groveling to make up for. Now sleep and get better. Because when I get back, we’re going on a date.”
Her lips curve faintly.
“That sounds perfect,” she whispers.
I don’t know if she’s fully aware of this conversation or if she thinks she’s dreaming.
Doesn’t matter.
Either way, this woman is my forever.
I stay another thirty seconds after she falls asleep.
Thirty seconds of memorizing the rise and fall of her chest.
Thirty seconds of reminding myself exactly what I’m fighting for.
Then I stand.
Patch gives me a nod from the hallway as I step out. “I’ll call if anything changes,” he says quietly.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
He just grunts.
I head for the bunker and start packing heavy.
Bag. Guns. Knives. Radios. Night vision goggles. Drones. Batteries. More guns. Ammo.
And my wallet…Can’t go to New York without grabbing a slice of pizza.
I zip the duffel closed and sling it over my shoulder.
New York won’t keep me longer than it has to.
Because I just got her back.
And I’m not going to let anything keep us apart for long.
Chapter Seventeen
