Her eyes start to flutter open and when they land on mine, I nearly choke on the lump in my throat. “Rhonan…Is Ellis?”
“She’s fine, baby. You—you saved her.”
Her lips curl up as she starts to cry. “I—”
I stand from the chair so fast and press my lips to hers, cutting her off. The warmth of her mouth comforts me, reminding me that she’s still here. “Fuck, Vienna. You have no idea how fucking terrified I was when I realized that you two were gone.”
“I’m sorry…” she croaks out, clearing her throat as she groans from her movements. Her arm is in a sling and her head must be pounding.
I reach behind me to the side table and pick up the cup of water with a straw, letting her take a few sips. “Easy does it. Not too much.”
Once she’s satisfied, I set the cup back down and scoot my chair closer to her bed, taking my seat again but keeping her hand in mine, right next to my lips. “I’m so fucking happy that you’re awake.”
“Was I…”
“Cole shot you. Well, he was aiming for Ellis but you freaking jumped in front of her.”
“He never would have been here if it weren’t for me, Rhonan. I’m so sorry.”
I reach up and brush her hair from her face. “You have nothing to be sorry for. He is the one who spun out of control.”
“Is he…”
“I shot him in the leg at the same time he fired at you. He’s stable, but he’ll be going to prison for a long time, Vienna. You won’t have to worry about him ever again.”
Tears flow down her face. “God, I’ve made so many mistakes, Rhonan, but I think I’ve finally learned something too.” She reaches up towipe her tears away. “Jealousy feels a lot like love, until you experience trust. Lydia said that to me once when she was trying to convince me to leave Cole, and I didn’t want to listen at the time. But she’s right. I’ve never felt trust and safety with anyone like I do with you. You trusted me with Ellis, and I didn’t want to let you down.”
“You didn’t. You took a fucking bullet for my daughter, Vienna. You saved her.”
“I love that little girl.”
“She loves you too.” I take a deep breath and then on an exhale admit, “And so do I. Fuck.” I choke down the sob that’s threatening to leave my throat as I hang my head. “I should have told you a million times before. I just didn’t want to rush this—”
“I love you too,” she says, cutting me off. My head lifts and our eyes connect, both full of tears. “I think I have since that first night.”
“I love you so fucking much, Vienna Lewis.”
“Well, it’s actually Cassidy…”
I shake my head. “You’ll never be that man’s wife to me, and someday, your last name will be Hart.”
Her lips curl up slightly. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” I bring her hand to my mouth again. “But no more secrets, okay?”
“I promise.”
“You should have told me about the guy that was following you.”
“I know, but I thought it was just my paranoia.”
“Well, thank God other people around town picked up on it because Chief was already watching this man. He’s the one who made the connection between you and him. The day you were kidnapped is when all of the pieces started coming together. And thank God I put that tracker in Ellis’s bracelet…”
“Wait, what?”
I rub the back of my neck. “When Ellis went missing that day at your house, it freaked me out so bad that I researched ways to keep track of your kids. Some people suggested using bracelets with location trackers, so that’s why I bought Ellis theFrozenbracelet to match herFrozenCrocs. There’s a tracking device in the snowflake charm in the center of her bracelet. I knew she’d never take it off, so it made me feel more confident that heaven forbid anything were to happen to her, I’d be able to find her.” I blow out a breath. “That’s why I was able to find you guys so quickly, and thank God for that.”
“I’m sorry, Rhonan. I never thought Cole would snap like he did.” She takes a deep breath. “I’ve been trying to keep my old life out of my new one. Then I met you and everything changed, and…”
