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My womb whispers, telling me to accept it, it’s happening.
I’m so freaking ready.
“Millie Green?” a nurse says, standing at the electric doors to the hospital.
“Yes?”
“You can go in now if you like.”
“Thank you.”
I turn to Jackie. “Are you going to be okay?”
An impish gleam comes into her eyes. “Actually,” she says, “I was wondering if you could stay with me. I’m really upset. In fact, I’d feel a lot better if you told Markus he’s getting in the way of our friendship and…”
She bursts out into laughter, the sound doing so freaking much to assuage my fears that this craziness has changed her in some unalterable way.
“Okay, I can’t even keep a straight face,” she giggles. “Look, what happened was horrible. It was evil. I want to scream just thinking about it. But I’ve got Lava and there’s no freaking way I’m going to stop you from reuniting with your man.”
I smile, reaching onto her lap to tickle Lava under the chin. “Aren’t you just the most loyal doggie ever, huh?”
He beams under the praise, perking up and wagging his tail.
“Are you going to wait here or go home?” I ask.
“I think I’ll take Lava for a walk.”
“Really? After what just happened?”
She shrugs, and then her features harden. “I don’t want to live in fear for even one minute just because some absolute fucking loser decided to use me as a pawn in his sick game,” she says fiercely. “I’m going to walk Lava around town and hold my head up high.”
“Okay, but … but stay in town, please? Just for me?”
She stands and takes Lava’s leash from her pocket, attaching it even though it looks like he’s not going to venture far from her anytime soon.
“Okay,” she says. “But only for you.”
I lean over and we hug shortly, squeezing her to feel her warmth, to give her a piece of my warmth and let her know that it’s all going to be okay. I hold on for a moment longer than I normally would and then whisper, “Jackie, thank you so much for not hating me for what happened. And thank you for letting me stay with you. You’re the best friend a person could ask for. Really.”
“And you’re the best person I know,” Jackie murmurs. “Now go and see your man before you make me cry.”
I laugh, blinking back tears of my own.
Then I head into the hospital, the automatic doors sliding aside for me. Giddiness begins to rise in me as I head down the hallway and then explodes in my chest when I see Markus walking toward me, his arm in a sling, and his characteristic smirk on his face, but with something lighter behind it when he spots me, his eyes shining.
“Millie,” he growls, looping me into a one-armed hug and squeezing me close.
“Your arm,” I gasp. “Is it okay?”
He shrugs, rolling his eyes a little. “Goddamn fuss over nothing,” he growls. “The bullet barely grazed me. I can move it fine, but apparently I should keep it in the sling for at least a week.”
I place my hand on his chest, feeling the blistering heat of him through the fabric of his shirt, his muscles, his essence.
“Then you’re going to be in that sling for a week, mister,” I tell him.
“Okay, boss,” he chuckles. He places his hand atop mine, pressing it closer to his chest. “Walk with me, Millie?”
“Walk—where?”
Light dances in his eyes, his smirk twitching a moment. “Just walk with me, okay?”
“Okay …”
He takes my hand and strides toward the doors, this man I’ve given myself to, body and soul. He’s wearing a clean shirt and a jacket draped over his sling side, his face covered in smattering beard from where he hasn’t shaved, his black-silver hair swept casually to the side.
He became a beast when he was defending me, but now he looks like a man, like my man, and my heart flutters when the doors open for us and we walk out into the winter sun.“Why do I feel like this isn’t random?” I laugh as he leads me through the forest.
I’m glad I changed into a hoodie, sweatpants, and sneakers as Crystal Lake comes into view, shining even brighter than the last time we came here. It’s bright but cold, and I huddle close to Markus for his warmth.
“Because it isn’t,” he says, turning to face me. “I had big plans about how I was going to do this. But sometimes life gets in the way and … well, after everything that’s happened, I don’t want to wait a second longer. I should’ve told you this the first time we came here. I should’ve told you the night I brought Lava home.”
“Told me what?” I whisper.
My hands are on his face, just like they were at the restaurant, his beard tickling me softly. His free hand is curled around my hips, bracing my lower back, his eyes burning into me.
