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“I can’t believe this!” She threw her arms out, and I sank back into the bed again. Aiden reached for my hand, and I let him take it. He was so warm, so big and safe, and I felt myself falling into him.
“She doesn’t need us,” Bridget said, gently nudging Mom toward the door. “She has Aiden.” Mom glared at him, then slowly lowered her eyes to me.
“I’m your mother,” she sneered. “You’re choosing some guy over me?” Tears pricked my eyes as I stared back at her, some of those walls crumbling. “Do you really hate me that much? After all I’ve done for you—”
“Mom,” Bridget snapped. “We’re not doing this right now.”
“You should go,” I mumbled. “Thanks for coming.”
Her face reddened, the veins in her too-thin neck popping slightly. Bridget grabbed her arm and hauled her from the room before she could say anything else. She barely had time to give me a look over her shoulder before they disappeared into the hallway.
“I’m sorry,” I said as soon as the door closed. Aiden sat on the bed again, his hand still wrapped tightly around mine.
“For what?” His thumb stroked mindlessly back and forth across the top of my hand. The movements mesmerized me; I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I was still in shock he was here, let alone touching me.
“My mom,” I mumbled. “She can be a tough woman to deal with.”
“Don’t apologize for her,” he said. “I should say I’m sorry for the way I spoke to your family. I should’ve been more…” He dropped his eyes to our hands.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I understand. But you don’t have to worry about Bridget. She’s only a few years older, but she basically raised me. Mom wasn’t around much when we were kids, and when she was…” I squeezed my eyes at the memories. “We wished she wasn’t.”
“You’re too sweet for your own good,” he said, almost to himself. Then he shook his head before he stood. “I’ll tell a nurse you’re awake. I probably should’ve done that sooner, but—” He glared at the door, and I cracked a small smile.
“I feel fine,” I said, and he turned his glare on me.
“That’s a lie, and I know it. There’s no way you feel fine.” His words came back to me. Her lips were fucking blue. I shifted uncomfortably as I dropped my eyes to my lap.
“Did you really find me outside?” I asked quietly, and he sighed as he dropped into the chair next to the bed.
“Yes,” he said. His head was in his hands, his elbows on his knees. “I thought you were dead, Danica.” My stomach twisted tightly with guilt.
“I’m sorry.” He shook his head as I spoke. “I don’t know what happened. I don’t remember anything.” I hated admitting that, but it was true. I couldn’t lie. He’d see right through it.
“When was the last time you ate anything?” he asked, his head still in his hands. I chewed on my cheek as I thought for a moment.
“I think I had dinner,” I said, then shook my head. “No, I had lunch yesterday. I was too tired to eat dinner.” Finally, he looked up at me.
“Danica.” His voice broke, and my throat tightened, my eyes burning with fresh tears. “I saw what you had for lunch yesterday, and a protein bar isn’t a meal.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he continued. “They said you’re severely dehydrated and had dangerously low blood sugar. If I hadn’t found you when I did, you could’ve developed hypothermia. You could have died. You must’ve gotten dizzy and fainted, hit your head on the ice, and passed out.”
I stared at him, at the way his face looked shattered, at the dark smudges under his eyes and the way his hair was standing up, like he’d been running his hands through too many times. He looked wrecked, and he looked like this because of me.
“I’m sorry,” I said again. “I didn’t know I’d cause you so much trouble. If you want to fire me—” He let out a humorless laugh, then squeezed his eyes shut.
“You’re not getting it, are you?” I blinked at him, confused. “I thought you were fucking dead, Danica. I thought—I thought I’d lost you. It wasn’t until I had you in my arms that I realized I can’t ignore what I feel for you anymore. Maybe I’m overstepping and maybe you don’t feel the same way, but I can’t keep pretending I don’t have feelings for you when I so clearly do. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the wedding. I fell for you that night, and I know it’s crazy that we only spent a short time together, but…” He trailed off, his eyes searching mine. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
My mouth opened, a silent breath barely leaving me as I stared at him. Shock coursed through my body.
“I like you, too,” I whispered, and he smirked.
“I’d like to explore this with you,” he said. “If that’s what you want. Do you want to see where things with us can go?” I thought for a moment as I chewed on the inside of my cheek. He reached up and gently ran his finger down my cheek, reminding me to stop. I sighed as I rested my head against the pillow, my eyes still on him.
“What if you figure out you don’t like me?” I asked in a small voice. “What about my job?” He swallowed hard and leaned back as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“I’ve told you before, I won’t fire you if things don’t work out,” he said. “If you want to continue working for me, then you will. If you don’t, I’ll help you find a new job—a better job. I won’t leave you out in the cold, Danica. I’ll take care of you, whether you’re mine or not.”
I had to trust him on that. I didn’t know if I wanted to risk my job, but I’d only been there for a week. It wasn’t like I’d be giving up a lifelong career…and if things worked out with us, then I’d be living a better life than the one I was currently living, anyway.
With a deep breath, I nodded.
