I sit beside the bed and watch her. For a while, I don't do anything else, except just watch.
I watch her breathe. Watch the rise and fall of her chest. I watch her fingers twitch slightly in her sleep.
She's alive.
I reach for her hand, her skin is warm, her pulse steady beneath my fingers.
For a moment I close my eyes. The last time I saw her she was on the gurney struggling to breathe.
Now she's here and she’s safe.
I open my eyes and look at her again. My wife, the woman I love, the woman carrying my child.
The thought still doesn't feel real.
My child.
A future I didn't know existed this morning. I rest my hand lightly against the blanket covering her stomach.
Protective and possessive.
Mine. Both of them are. The feeling settles deep in my chest.
Daire, Frederick, and Gregory are still out there, and tonight they came for my family.
Bruno paid for his part in that, the rest of them will too.
I look at Quinn, then down at where our child grows beneath my hands, and I make a silent vow.
Nobody is touching either of them again, not while I'm breathing.
Chapter 26
Quinn
I hear a low beeping sound. I try to turn toward the sound, but it hurts. My entire body feels like it’s on fire, and I don’t know why. I open my eyes and see that I’m in a hospital bed, and just like that everything comes flooding back to me.
“Hey,” I hear someone say softly and I turn to see a young nurse looking at me with kind eyes. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“Sore,” I reply and wince at the sound of my voice, it sounds like a dirt bike.
“That’s to be expected,” she replies. “You gave everyone a fright last night.”
“Last night?” I repeat. “How long was I asleep?”
“Fourteen hours,” the nurse tells me. “Your body needed the rest to heal.”
“I didn’t mean to, I had no idea there was peanuts in the food.”
“No one had any idea,” I hear Lorenzo growl and turn my head. I can’t help but smile at him, even looking disheveled he’s still gorgeous. He looks exhausted.
“Did you sleep here?”
Before he can answer, the nurse interrupts with a smile. “I’ve taken your vitals, everything looks good. I’ll leave you two alone.”
She leaves the room, and I breathe deeply. God, I feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck.
"Quinn." His voice is rough. "Quinn, look at me."
