“Shh. It’s okay. I’m here,” I whisper, laying my hand on his chest. “I’m here and I love you. And I’m so sorry for what I said yesterday. You were right, I was scared. Scared you would wake up one day and realize you never wanted this. A relationship, a kid, all of it. But I’ve realized, I’d rather have a short time loving you than no time at all. So if you’ll have me back, I would love a second chance.”
My voice is cracking by the end of it, and it’s silly to even say it now since I know he probably isn’t even conscious enough to hear it. Which means I’ll have to repeat it all soon, anyway. But it feels so good to say the words that have been heavy on my heart.
“I love you.”
I lift my head at his quiet but clear expression. His eyes are still droopy, but he’s staring at me with a soft smile.
“I love you, angel. And I plan on loving you for a really long time.”
I feel ready to burst with happiness and relief and most of all, love, but I’m very aware I need to be careful. Moving gingerly, I shift up slightly so I can kiss him again, pouring every emotion, every ounce of love into that kiss.
“We’re gonna be okay?” I ask, and he nods drowsily.
“Yup. Just needa sleep some more.”
“Okay. You sleep.” I move to get off the bed.
“Noooo. Stay,” he mumbles, his hand coming over his body to stop me. Except that tugs on his IV and he winces. “Ow.”
“I’ll stay right here. You sleep.”
“Love you, angel.” He turns his head to mine, so the words are mumbled against my forehead. Then I feel his body relax back into a medicated sleep.
“I love you, Sawyer Donnelly.”
Chapter twenty-nine
Tori
I don’t tell Cooper about Sawyer’s accident until the next morning, when the man in question is no longer loopy and sedated, but is still grumpy, growly, and in pain. The doctors cleared him for discharge today, but it became clear he couldn’t go home to his apartment.
Which is why I begged my parents to keep Cooper one more night, thankful he had no school today. Coop wasn’t happy, begging to talk to Sawyer, but as soon as I told him he needed to stay with his grandparents one more night because Sawyer would be moving in with us temporarily, his face lit up and he was much more agreeable.
I spent the morning racing around, cleaning my house with Willow’s help, and getting things as set up as I could for him to recover here. I fully expected his family to protest when I offered to take care of him. After all, I’m just the girlfriend.
Kat’s the one who pointed out it made the most sense, seeing as I work from home. Still, I figured his parents would want him there, but when we were discussing it in the hospital hallway outside his room, Claire Donnelly leaned over and whispered that she wished me luck. According to her, Sawyer’s a terrible patient, and she was more than happy to let someone else deal with him.
Did that lead to some trepidation on my part? Yes, but I still wanted to help.
Two of his brothers have just finished dropping off a load of stuff from his house, including food from his fridge that would have gone bad and a suitcase of clothes. I’m putting the shirts and pants away in my room when Willow wanders in.
“How are you going to explain to Coop why Sawyer’s sleeping in your bed?”
My hands still. Thatisthe one thing I hadn’t quite figured out. “Good question, got any ideas?” I finish putting his T-shirts in the drawer and slide it shut. “It’s not like he’ll be upset when we say we’re dating. I think he’s hoped for this for a long time. If anything, he might be mad I didn’t tell him sooner. But dating is different from sharing a bed, and how much does a seven-year-old boy understand about that, anyway?”
Willow holds up her hand. “Babe, you’re rambling. Slow down. Why don’t you stick to the truth? There isn’t a guest bed, so he’s sharing with you, just like I do when I come to stay.”
I start to scoff at that simple answer, then pause. “You think that’s good enough?”
Folding her arms across her chest, she smirks. “As long as you keep the hanky-panky to a minimum around him, then yes. Coop will be fine. He loves Sawyer, and like you said, he’s been ’shipping you two from the get-go.”
We leave the bedroom, and she picks up her bag. “Tell Coop I said hi and let me know if you need me to come back next weekend.” We embrace, and I hold on to her tightly. She’s my best friend who dropped everything to be here for me when I thought my heart was breaking, and she stayed as it was put back together.
Words can never express how much she means to me.
“Thank you, Wills, for everything.”
After she leaves, I head back to my bedroom to finish unpacking Sawyer’s clothes. I’ve just emptied the suitcase when the doorbell rings.
