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He was… magnificent.
Everything I needed in this moment. A villain to save me.
Doctors and nurses scattered, and I saw one reaching for her phone, no doubt calling security.
“Vander.” My voice broke. His head swung to me, and without hesitation, I ran across the hall to him.
His strong arms, that had just a second ago destroyed everything in sight, caught me in a gentle hug. I breathed in his sandalwood scent.
He felt like safety. Comfort. The feeling I’d been searching for my whole life.
I just hadn’t realized I’d already had it.
It was always Vander. Always his strong arms holding me close. Protecting me. It was him.
Always him.
31
Vander
Icouldn’t fucking breathe. Couldn’t drag enough air into my lungs. I hadn’t been able to since Mike had called me.
Even seeing was difficult. A red haze filled my vision as I found myself in a hospital, trying to find Grace. Again.
Flashbacks from a year ago played in my mind. Pacing these halls while they’d performed tests on her for hours. While I’d had to wait because I wasn’t her husband. I was only her brother-in-law.
I’d sat there coated in my brother’s blood, unable to make sure the woman I loved was safe.
Just like I hadn’t been able to today.
Jealousy had gotten the better of me. I should’ve stayed at the clinic with her. Should’ve supported her decision to have a baby.
But my ego had won. I acted like a child. Thinking my sperm offended her. That it was about me. Fucking stupid. She’d almost been killed because I was an arrogant bastard.
The sound of the wheelchair hitting the desk echoed around the hall. The nurses stared at me with wide eyes and fear. But it didn’t calm the inferno inside.
My chest heaved with unsteady breaths as I searched for something else. Anything to relieve this pressure before I killed them. They all deserved to die for keeping me from my wife.
Then I heard my name in the sweetest voice. I jerked towards the sound, and I saw my wife running for me. Red hair flying. Cheeks pale. But she was alive and perfect.
All the air rushed back into my lungs when Grace’s small body slammed into mine.
The scent of roses filled my nose. Her smell. Her soft curves. Her heartbeat. All of it soothed the monster inside.
“Fuck, Sunflower.” I cursed softly, running my hands up and down her spine to make sure she was real. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She turned her face into my chest, seeking comfort in me. “Just scratches.”
“Fuck.” It was all I could get out as my throat closed. I didn’t know if it was the ocean of fear I’d been living in since I’d gotten the call, her soft voice, or her leaning on me like I leaned on her, but I fell apart.
I buried my head in her hair, inhaling her scent with each ragged breath. The dam burst, and emotion rushed through me. Guilt, anger, fear. So much goddamn fear.
Panic that I’d lost her.
Worry that she’d hate me for not protecting her.
Fear that I couldn’t live without her.
