Her expression would soften, shoulders falling as if the story had reached inside her and given her a piece of its soul. Sometimes she’d clutch the book against her chest afterward, holding it there like she wanted to crawl inside the pages and stay there.
I used to think if I somehow made it into heaven, despite all the shit I’d done, my personal heaven would look exactly like this.
Watching Ariana read forever.
As if sensing my gaze, she looked up, her eyes widening instantly. She scrambled to her feet and hurried toward me, the book slipping from her lap.
“Hey,” she breathed, lowering herself into the chair beside the bed. “Can you hear me?”
My lips felt dry and cracked when I tried to smile.
“I can.” My voice sounded rough. Broken. As if it hadn’t been used in a while. “Is this… Is this heaven?”
She scrunched her brow. “Heaven?”
“I always imagined my heaven would be somewhere I could watch you read.” I winced as another wave of pain rolled through me. “Didn’t think it would feel like this, though. Thought there wasn’t supposed to be any pain in heaven.”
She laughed gently, the sound like music to my ears. “You’re not in heaven. You’re in a hospital in Fort Myers.”
I groaned. “So hell, then.”
That earned a fuller laugh from her, her eyes dancing with amusement.
“I can see why you’d think that. Pretty sure the coffee here was brewed in the depths of hell itself. But no. You’re not in hell, heaven, purgatory, or any other afterlife.” Her expression softened. “You’re alive, Henry.”
I closed my eyes, allowing the reality to settle into me. When I opened them again, I reached my hand toward her face. The movement sent pain tearing through my abdomen, but I didn’t care. The second my fingers brushed her cheek, I sighed.
Warm skin.
Soft hair.
Steady pulse.
“How long have I been out?”
“A couple of days, more or less.” She covered my hand with hers, then set it onto the bed beside me, our fingers linked together. “You woke up a few times, but they wanted to keep you sedated through the worst of the pain.”
I attempted to sit straighter and immediately regretted it, another sharp bolt of pain ricocheting through me. “Based on how I feel right now, it’s probably a good thing.”
“Why? Are you in pain? I can call a nurse to give you something.”
“No.” I tightened my hold on her before she could stand.
“Henry,” she cautioned.
“I’d rather be awake. I can deal with the pain.”
Her lips pinched in mock irritation. “Stubborn.”
“It’s why you love me.”
She brought my hand to her lips, pressing a kiss against my knuckles. “One of the many reasons.”
I savored the feeling of her soft skin against mine, shifting slightly in an attempt to get comfortable, when I caught a glimpse of the television mounted in the corner of the room. News footage showed dozens of investigators swarming the compound I’d rescued Sarah and Ariana from a few days ago.
Even seeing it on TV made my stomach turn with what could have been.
“What’s been happening with the investigation?” I asked, nodding toward the screen.
