“He’s in jail. Detective Riser stopped by. Said he’ll be by in the morning.” There was no way he would tell her that Cindy had hired someone to kill her. Later, once she was out of the hospital, she could learn that bit of information.
He wanted to run his hands over her hair or her body, but he didn’t want to cause more pain, so he held her hand, knowing that once she healed, he could kiss her as much as he wanted. Her eyes were closed, and he stood, but her eyes flashed open.
“You should get some rest,” he said.
“Will you stay?” Her voice was still weak, but it was better than she’d sounded on the phone.
“Yes. I’m not leaving your side today. I took the day off work.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
“Of course I do. Work will be there on Monday.”
Her eyes slid closed, and he watched her until he was sure she had drifted off. The pain of almost losing her still sat heavy on his chest. No question, he needed to get past this and be the man she needed. He could do it. He’d recovered from losing some of his best friends in the world. He would recover from this because she was still here, and he hadn’t lost her.
He got a little more sleep and was up when the doctors made their rounds. They explained to Willa what she needed to do over the next few weeks. Of course, with the concussion, she had to take things easy. There were restrictions on television and reading. Willa seemed a little disappointed, but she took the information in stride.
A little after noon, she was released from the hospital. Close to noon, Detective Riser called, stating he would meet up with them at Cy’s house.
His buddies had brought his car over to the hospital earlier. He had the best friends in the world. Without them, he would have had to call a taxi to get them home.
When he pulled into the driveway, Willa pushed open the passenger side door but didn’t get out.
“I’ll be around in just a second.”
“Hold on,” Willa said.
He turned to her, seeing the serious look on her face. Unease shifted through him. She’d been through a lot, and sometimes after traumatic events, people changed things in their lives. He hoped she still wanted to live here with him. If she wanted to take a break, he would support her. It would be hard, but he would do whatever she wanted.
36
Willa had been doing a lot of thinking since she’d woken up in the hospital. She was certain Robert hadn’t raped her. If she’d been in that hotel with him for longer, that would have happened, but he had been too focused on beating her to have sex. She was thankful for the little things.
Cindy had meant to really hurt her. That jerk, the one who’d grabbed her butt while she’d been waiting tables, would have most likely killed her. She had no idea why she had multiple psychopaths after her at the same time. It wasn’t like she’d done anything really bad in her life. Maybe she’d stolen a pack of gum, and she’d cheated on a few tests in high school, but she wasn’t running around pushing kids off scooters or old ladies down stairs.
Whatever happened to her hadn’t been karma taking a dump on her life. Bad things happened, but it wasn’t a statement on her.
One thing she knew after all of this was that life was fleeting. She didn’t want to die without making something real.
She turned in the seat, though pain shot through her. Worry blanketed Cy’s features, and she reached for his hand.
“I said I love you in the hospital, and I want to make sure you know it’s the truth.”
“I know it’s true. I love you, and that’s the truth.”
She nodded and tried for a smile, but the bruises on her jaw made it hard to smile. “I don’t want to miss any opportunities. I know this isn’t how it’s done, but I can’t wait. Marry me.”
Shock coursed through Cy.For a long time, he thought he would never find anyone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but he wanted Willa in his life forever.
This may not be how other people did it, and he knew some guys would get offended, but Willa and her question was the best thing to happen in his life.
He squeezed her hand and nodded. “Yes,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “Yes, I want to marry you. I want you in my life forever.”
She let go of her breath, and her shoulders sagged. “Thank you.”
“I’m coming around the car. I need to hold you.”
She nodded as tears slipped down her cheek. He rushed around the car, thrilled to be with this woman who’d changed everything, making his life better than he ever thought possible.
