“It wasn’t my time,” I murmured.
“What?”
Realizing I had said Preacher Man’s words, I shook my head. “It’s nothing.”
“Deacon and Bishop have taken turns staying the nights with me.”
“Nights?”
“You’ve been unconscious for five days. Well, most of them you were kept in a medically induced coma to let your burns heal.”
“Holy shit.”
Annabel laughed. “The doctor said you would come around when you were ready. Of course, that didn’t mean that yourmother and I didn’t worry to death about when that might be. But thankfully, there’s no lasting internal damage. You might have some scarring from your burns.”
My mind went back to Mendoza and his sadistic use of a blow torch. Then a sobering thought hit me. “What happened with Mendoza after he shot me?”
“The ATF took him in. I’ve been assured he won’t get out of prison.”
“He won’t,” I said adamantly.
Annabel’s brows shot up at my words and tone. Gazing down at the blanket, she hesitated before asking, “Does that mean you’ll have him taken care of in prison?”
I reached forward to grab her hand. “He won’t be coming out alive, you can rest assured of that. But before it’s done, he’ll suffer.”
A tremor ran through Annabel’s body. “I suppose the thought of you having him tortured should disgust me, but it doesn’t. I think of what he did to me and then what he did to you…he deserves everything he gets.”
Squeezing her hand, I said, “That’s an old lady talking right there.”
She shook her head but then smiled in spite of herself. As I stared into her eyes, I thought of what she went through to save me. “You were so strong and so brave. I’m so very proud of you, Annabel. Proud and honored to call you my future wife.”
Tears once again shimmered in her eyes. “It was my love for you that gave me the strength.” She bent down again to kiss me. I brought my hand up to tangle through the stands of her long auburn hair. When she pulled away, she smiled. “I better call your mother and Deacon. They’ll want to see you.”
“They can wait. Why don’t you lie down with me for a while? I want to feel you close to me.”
She cocked her brows skeptically. “Nathaniel Malloy, I certainly hope you’re not trying to get fresh with me just a few minutes after regaining consciousness. I’m sure the doctor will be in here any moment.”
I laughed. “No, Annabel Percy, I merely wanted to hold the woman I love close to me since there was a brief moment when I didn’t think I would ever get the chance again.”
Annabel’s expression softened. “We have to be careful though.”
Easing my body over in the bed caused more pain that I had anticipated. At my sharp intake of breath, Annabel started to move away from the bed. “Oh no you don’t,” I muttered through gritted teeth.
Gently, she eased up on the mattress and stayed practically hanging off the edge to ensure she didn’t hurt me. I took her hand in mine and brought it to my cheek, enjoying the soft feel of her skin and the warmth of her touch.
Somehow two such broken people had found the other half that completed them and made them whole. The direst of circumstances had brought us together, but some of the greatest loves in the world were born of tragedy.
As I kissed her palm, I thanked God that I had gotten a second chance to love and be loved by this woman—this Annabel Lee.
CHAPTER: ANNABEL
Sunlight streamed through the heavily tree-lined woods, warming even the shadowy parts. With the hem of my dress clutched in my hand, I carefully made my way along the uneven terrain. I dodged tree limbs and shrubs that might nick my dress. After all, I didn’t want to do anything to ruin my appearance considering it was my wedding day.
I’m sure it seemed a little unorthodox to be tromping through the woods on the most important day of your life, but at the same time, there was no other way to reach the wedding venue than through the woods. After Rev almost died at Mendoza’s hands, it illustrated to us both how precarious life can be, and made it seem a little ridiculous to put off getting married.
So a month to the day Rev had come home from the hospital, we were becoming man and wife. Because we were on a tight schedule, most of the venues were booked up. In the end, the most obvious choice was right before our eyes…or at least a mile into the woods. Our ceremony would take place on the banks of Tohi Ama.
When I stumbled over an exposed tree root, Deacon’s arm shot out to catch me. “Easy there, sister. I don’t want you faceplanting before we can get you to the altar,” he said, his voice laced with amusement. Behind us, Bishop snickered.
