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When he met my gaze, his expression softened, and he nodded before taking my place in the open door without allowing his grandmother to come inside. I hurried into the kitchen, pulling the food from the bags without giving it much thought.
Something was smeared on the pie container, and I licked it away at the same time the scent of peanut butter hit me and I finally realized what I was holding. A voice in my head was screaming danger even as I began to panic.
Aggie’s famous peanut butter pie.
The clear pie package fell onto the floor at my feet with what was a loud splat to my ears. “Ben!” I tried to scream, but my throat was starting to close up, that itchy tickle in my throat already making me cough. “B-Ben!”
“Babe, what’s wrong?” he asked as he walked into the kitchen.
My panicked eyes met his just as I felt my lips start to swell.
Oh God, I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.
“Fuck,” he yelled, taking in the state of my face and the pie on the floor. “I forgot to check the food. Babe, I’m so sorry. That Tabby chick filled my order, and I didn’t think… I didn’t even order pie!”
I couldn’t even talk, let alone feel jealous that Tabby had handled my man’s food. She hated me, and the feeling was mutual.
Especially now.
“Ben!” Mrs. Davis’s stern voice seemed to snap him out of his panic, but it did nothing to alleviate my own. “Where’s her EpiPen?”
“Babe?”
“Purse,” I mouthed, my lungs already desperate for air they weren’t going to get. Tears poured from my eyes, and the world started to get blotchy with black spots. “Ben,” I wheezed with the last of the oxygen I had.
His strong arms caught me as I started to fall and, almost immediately, I felt something being stabbed into my outer left thigh, but I was already passing out…
I woke up to the sound of a beeping heart monitor and the annoying feel of oxygen tubes in my nose. Ben was in a chair beside the bed, his hand clutching mine as he snored loudly. I almost smiled, but my lips still felt swollen.
“Feeling better?” Mom’s hoarse voice asked from the other side of the bed.
I nodded, not ready to see if I could talk again yet.
She was sitting in a chair identical to Ben’s. Her hair was tangled, and her clothes looked wrinkled. That, coupled with the dark circles under her eyes, made me wonder how long she’d been there—how long I’d been there.
“Ben called me on the way to the hospital. Apparently, his grandmother drove you both here while he attempted to keep you breathing. Barely, thanks to the first epi injection Mrs. Davis gave you.” She sighed tiredly. “I’m going to have to teach that boy to do better when it comes to your allergic reaction.”
“We…” My throat hurt like hell, but I had to defend him to her. “We both panicked.”
“I know, honey. I know. He loves you so much, and like I was the first time I witnessed your allergy, he was terrified. But he’s gotta be better prepared for the next time. And there will be a next time. Although I hope that is far, far into the future.” She gave my other arm a squeeze, and I realized there was an IV in the back of my hand. “That all happened yesterday, by the way. They had to give you a second injection as soon as you got to the ER, and then another one around midnight. It was like no sooner had it worn off than they had to give you another. You’ve scared a good ten years off my life, baby girl.”
“I’m…sorry,” I whispered.
“Don’t be. It happens every time you have a reaction. I’m just thankful you’re okay now.” She nodded at Ben again. “And once he calmed down and snapped into action, he saved you. So I don’t have to kill him.”
“Mom. Don’t joke,” I begged, too tired to imagine she was doing anything but joking.
Smiling, she stood and then leaned over me, kissing my forehead. “Now that you’re awake, I can go home and get some sleep. I’ll entrust you to the sheriff for the foreseeable future.” She stroked her ice-cold fingers down my cheek, tears filling her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Love you,” I choked out, and she smiled again before leaving.
I lay there just watching him sleep, thankful he and his grandmother knew what to do to help me. He looked haggard, even in sleep, yet still so beautifully masculine, I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
It was a long while after she left before Ben started to stir. His lashes began to lift, and I saw confusion in those brandy-brown eyes for a flicker of a second before reality hit him and his hold on my hand tightened. He jerked upright.
“Baby?” he rasped, his eyes running over me like a physical caress as he brought my hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. “How are you feeling?”
“Happy to see you,” I murmured, trying to smile. But my lips still felt a little swollen, so I wasn’t sure if I pulled it off or not. “What about you?”
