Page 325 of Faking the Goal

"It's okay." I tighten my fingers around hers, afraid that if I let go, she'll disappear again. "I'm right here."

A faint sound escapes her lips.

So quiet I almost miss it.

"...Ken..."

Every muscle in my body gives out at once.

I sink onto the edge of the bed, lifting her hand to my face as if the warmth of my skin alone can guide her back to me. My eyes squeeze shut for a second as I press one kiss against her knuckles... then another... then another.

"I'm here," I whisper, my voice trembling so badly I barely recognize it as my own. "I'm here, baby."

Her fingers twitch weakly against my cheek.

Another miracle.

"Open your eyes for me." My thumb strokes the back of her hand before I press another desperate kiss into her palm. "Please... come back to me. You're safe now. I promise. Nobody's going to hurt you again."

Her breathing catches.

Her brows knit together.

Then, with visible effort, her eyelids begin to lift.

It's slow.

Painfully slow.

As though they weigh a thousand pounds each.

The tiniest sliver of hazel appears beneath trembling lashes before she has to close them again.

"That's it," I encourage, tears already blurring my vision. "That's my girl. One more time."

She tries again.

This time they open.

Only halfway.

But it's enough.

Those beautiful hazel eyes finally find mine.

The world stops.

Every ounce of fear that's been lodged inside my chest for the last three days feels like it's being pulled out, one agonizing shard at a time. I hadn't realized how impossible it had become to breathe until this very moment, because the instant our eyes meet, my lungs finally remember how.

She's here.

She's alive.

She came back to me.

A sob tears out of me before I can stop it.

I bow my head against the back of her hand, laughing and crying at the same time as tears spill freely onto her skin.