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Tears followed as Grace clasped her hands over her mouth. I couldn’t stand to see her like this. It stung worse than any of my physical injuries. “I guess I’m not the only one who can destroy a hospital.”
“Vander?” Her royal blue eyes shot open as she flew across the room. She hesitated next to the bed like she didn’t want to hurt me.
Fuck that.
Ignoring the burning in my muscles and the yanking of my IV, I grasped her hips. She let out a surprised squeak as I tumbled her onto the mattress beside me.
“Vander.” She chastised, but I didn’t stop until I had her just where I needed her. Her head on my bare chest, a leg and an arm sprawled across my body.
“That’s better.” My thumb swept along the bandages on her cheek. “Are you okay?”
“I should be asking you that. You jumped in front of a bullet for me.” I watched her choke back her tears. “But yes, I’m fine. Just bruises.”
My gaze roamed her face, looking for the answer to the question I didn’t want to ask. Emotion filled her eyes and I couldn’t tell. I was going to fucking hate myself if I hurt her, but I had to know.
“And… the baby?”
My heart felt like it was trying to beat out of my chest. Pounding on my ribs, the sound echoing in my head.
She grasped my hand, bringing it down to her stomach. “Healthy because of you.”
My breath shook as I sucked air into my lungs, not realizing until now how badly I needed to hear that. They were safe. Both of them. My wife and my baby.
My fingers moved down until they slipped under her shirt, stroking over her still-flat skin. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Not after everything else that had happened today. Grace was pregnant with my baby.
“I tried to tell you this morning.” She sounded like she was worried I was mad about how I found out.
“I know, Sunflower.” She smiled up at me, finally relaxing, her body becoming soft against mine.
We lay together for a few moments. I had other questions, but the answers could wait. It only mattered that we were all alive. I thought about the second shot I’d heard and already knew who hadn’t made it. And I didn’t fucking care.
Even the devil was going to reject the evil that lived in her.
“Are y-you okay?” Her voice cracked as she traced the bandage on my chest.
“I told you, Sunflower. I don’t feel the pain when you hold me.” My eyes closed as I gave her a squeeze. But then I felt the emotions overwhelmed her. The warm tears as they hit my skin.
“I-I thought you died.” The floodgates opened. Her sobs became frantic as she gasped for air. Her petite body shook against mine. Her fingers dug into my flesh like she couldn’t hold me tight enough.
“We’re okay. I’ve got you.” I promised her over and over again as I held her. My fingers ran through her hair, down her spine and back, soothing her with my touch. It seemed like forever before the sobs stopped racking through her body. Even longer for the tears to dry up.
“H-how did you know where I was? That I was in trouble?” I grabbed onto her question, hoping it would distract her.
“I had a tracker installed while you were in the hospital last year.” Her head shot up, and there was a spark burning away the sadness. “They sedated you to keep you calm. I had them do it then. It’s right here.”
I grasped her hand, bringing it to the fleshy part of her thigh. If we pressed hard enough, we could feel the tiny cylinder under her skin, similar to a birth control implant.
She ran her fingers over it. “Why?”
“I told myself it was because you were a target. If they could hurt you, they could kidnap you.” I smiled, thinking how deep my delusions went when it came to her. I’d been able to convince myself of a lot. That moving in with her was a good idea. That forcing her to marry me was the only way to keep her. “But that wasn’t the truth.”
I gathered her in my arms, holding her as tightly as I could. My shoulder burned, telling me the pain meds were wearing off, but I couldn’t make myself let go. I never could with Grace.
She was my addiction. My weakness. My love.
“Letting you go was never an option for me. I couldn’t. Even if you left, I wanted to know where you were. That you were safe. Happy.”
“Vander.” My name was a sigh, and I knew she was upset.
