Relief expanded his chest. He pressed the hand he still held to his lips then tucked a slip of hair behind her ears. Standing, he leaned over her, resisting the urge to climb into the bed andgather her in his arms. “I won’t tell her you said that. It might hurt her feelings.”
Her grin grew. “We need a reason to visit you.” Her voice was dry and low, and she lifted her fingers to the base of her bruised neck. “Hurts.”
“Don’t talk. Save your strength. My God, Katherine, I’ve never been so damn scared in my entire life. When I ran into that house and found him on you, I nearly died myself. But you’re a fighter. That was clear in the blood and bruises you left on Keith.”
“Is he gone?”
“Gone forever. You and Ollie can go home and forget this ever happened. Life can go back to normal.” The words were like chalk in his mouth, but he needed her to know that no matter what she decided to do from here on out, all that mattered was that she was safe.
That she was happy.
Her smile fell and tears hovered on her lashes and slid over her cheeks.
“Hey, now,” he said, brushing away the tears with the pad of his thumb. “It’s all over. You don’t need to be afraid anymore.”
Lifting a shaky hand, she covered his knuckles with her palm and anchored it against her cheek. “Not scared. So sorry,” she whispered, wincing.
“We don’t need to talk about that right now.”
She shook her head, then squeezed her eyes shut for a beat before setting them on him once again. “You matter. To me and Ollie. I love you, Cody.”
She opened her mouth to say more but he stopped her with a kiss. Talking was the last thing she needed to be doing, and there was nothing more he needed to hear.
“I love you, too, Katherine. I was afraid I’d never get a chance to tell you. It’s fast as hell, and I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I love you and that kid of yours so damn much.”
A soft tap at the door drew his attention to Jenna.
“Glad to see you’re awake,” Jenna said. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore, but not too bad,” Katherine said, a smile fixed on her beautiful face.
“I want you to stay overnight for observation. Especially since you lost consciousness.” Jenna studied a tablet before glancing at the machines next to the bed. “Everything else looks good. Just take it easy for a few days. Your stitches are the least of your worries. The head wound will leave you nauseous, possibly dizzy, and the headache will linger for a while. Stick with liquids and soft foods until your throat feels better. Wouldn’t hurt to have someone help you until you’re one hundred percent.”
“I’m on it,” Cody said. “Between you and Ollie, I’ll get some nursing skills of my own.”
Jenna grinned. “Looking forward to hearing about that. Let me know if you need anything while you’re here.”
Cody waited for Jenna to leave before reclaiming his seat besides Katherine. “You okay with me taking care of you for a while?”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“Good, because I plan on doing it for a very long time.”
She lifted her arms. “Hold me?”
“Always.” He moved with care as he circled his arms around her and held her close. He kissed the side of her face, up to her forehead then briefly touched her lips with his.
And everything shifted into place, his heart and arms full and his future filled with wonderful possibilities.
Three months later,the summer heat beat down on Katherine as she carried her last box out of the moving truck. Her muscles burned and exhaustion slowed her steps up the walkway toward Cody’s house. It’d been a long, emotional day. One that was as difficult as it was exciting.
Cody jogged outside. “Here, let me get that.” He took the box from her and led the way back inside.
Stacked boxes greeted her in the living room.
Ollie ran down the hall and gave her a huge hug, Bailey right behind him.
“I’m not sure who’s more excited about move-in day,” she said with a small laugh. “You or Bailey.”
