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Elliot appeared in the doorway, wearing a pair of my jeans and a flannel shirt. She’d come from the shower, given her damp hair. When she saw me, her face lit up and she ran to me.
She put both hands on my scruffy face. “I didn’t know if I’d ever see you alive again.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I just kept pushing the thought aside, hoping and praying you were all right.”
“I’m fine, other than this pesky bullet wound.”
She knelt closer to brush my mouth with hers. “Are you in pain?”
“Some, but nothing we can’t manage. How about you?”
Elliot touched a spot on her neck where a purple bruise marred her perfect skin. “Other than this and being a little sore from trying to break free, I’m fine.” She held up her wrists to show me the rope burns.
“What did he do to you?”
She shook her head. “I’ll tell you about it later, but I’m fine. He didn’t do anything to us, other than try to create a family from his deluded wishes. It’s sad, actually.” Tears leaked fromthe sides of her eyes. She brushed them aside with the back of her hand. “He never had a chance. Criminal father. Mother died of a drug overdose. Foster homes and abuse after that. He didn’t have an Aunt Biddie. Maybe if he’d ever been loved by anyone he would have been different.”
“I’m just glad you’re all right.”
“Yeah, and now I have a sister. She looks like me. Especially the eyes.”
“Then she must be very beautiful,” I said.
“Are you really okay?” Elliot asked.
“I’m not going to get back to my kitchen for a few days,” I said. “But nothing matters to me except you’re safe. If you hadn’t come home, I don’t know what I would have done. I felt so helpless.”
She stroked my forehead, kissing me between the eyes. “I’m here now.”
“Elliot, I love you. I have for a long time.”
Her brows lifted for a second. “Yeah? Well, guess what? I love you too. I don’t know what I’ve been doing all these months, other than trying so hard to keep from falling in love with you. But when I was tied up and scared, I promised myself if I ever got out alive, I’d tell you how I feel. I’m not saying it’s not hard for me to believe that you just appeared in my life and want to stay. I’ll always wake up wondering if you’ll be there in the morning or when I get home from an errand. All these years, my mother’s choice to end her life has haunted me, followed me around, and kept me from believing that I could love someone even though they might leave me. I’ve been protecting my heart for twenty years. But I’m tired. I’m tired of being alone and pretending I’m fine. I want to be in your life. Always. Even though it terrifies me to say it, knowing I could scare you away, but I’ve decided I’d rather be brave than safe.”
“You can’t scare me away,” I said without taking my eyes off her. “After he took you and I thought I may have lost you forever, I knew without a doubt what I felt. How in love with you I truly am. Until you, I’ve never felt like I quite belonged, but you’re different. I can be myself and feel accepted. Loved for who I am, with all my quirks and flaws.”
“I do love you. More than I thought I ever could. The way you make me feel about myself, like I’m the most incredible woman in the world, is the most freeing thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“You are the most incredible woman in the world,” I said.
“If no one else thinks that, I won’t care, because you do.” She kissed me again, lingering just for a moment before pulling back to look at me. “Does this mean I have to quit my job?”
“What? Why would you do that?”
“Because of your policy never to date employees,” Elliot said.
“Employees, yes. Wives, though? That’s different.”
“Wives?”
“You have to marry me, Elliot Young. No one else gets me like you do. I don’t want to spend another moment without you by my side. The last few days have proved to me how tenuous life is and how little control we have over anything. I want as much time with you as I can get.”
“You have me. And yes, I would like to be part of your family instead of your employee.”
“Does that mean you’ll marry me?”
“That’s what it means. Now, move over a little. I want to lie next to you.”
I did as she asked, and she slipped into the hollow place beside me in the chair. Careful not to touch my injured shoulder, she curled up next to me with one arm around my middle. A leg wrapped around my waist, and she nuzzled her face into my chest. “Can I stay here forever?”
“You can stay as long as you like.” I closed my eyes, breathing in the sweet scent of her damp hair, more content than I’d ever been. “Although the minute I’m better, I’m hauling you upstairs.”
