“There was no time for anything else, adorable,” he says, voice rough, still scraped raw from disuse. “I heard an engine start, and by the time I realized what was happening, it was too late. I wasn’t going to let that fucker hurt you.”
He blows out a slow breath. “I honestly didn’t expect him to come so soon. Or be so bold. I’m just glad the club took care of him.”
I arch a brow, my fingers still wrapped around his, afraid to let go. He doesn’t know everything that happened, but there’s no use bringingthatup now. There’ll be time for it later.
“Well, because of your oversight, now you owe me a bike ride. Don’t think I won’t hold you to it.”
A faint huff of a laugh escapes him, and the heart monitor skips into a slightly faster rhythm before settling again.
“I’ll take you on that ride the first chance I get.” His thumb drags slowly over my knuckles. “There was something I wanted to talk to you about—”
“You wanted to tell me Sombra was my father,” I interrupt him, tilting my head. “And ask for another chance.”
His eyes sharpen despite the exhaustion weighing them down. “How?”
A small, almost wicked smile pulls at my lips. “Bones told me. We’ve been meeting here and talking a lot these past few weeks. He also told me he’s the one you’ve been asking to break into my bookstore and leave the notes. Whenyoucouldn’t, that is.”
“That fucking snitch. I go into a coma and he turns into a chatterbox,” he mutters, but there’s no real heat behind it. His jaw tightens, then relaxes. The humor drains from his face. “I’m sorry, adorable. I didn’t want to hurt you with that intel, but it was your right to know.” His voice drops. “I’ve suspected it for a while, and both Sombra and your mother confirmed it.”
He studies me carefully. “How are you feeling about it?”
I shrug, my gaze dropping to our joined hands. “Honestly, it wasn’t that much of a surprise. It explains a lot.”
My throat tightens. I swallow it down. Both… No. Allthreeof my parents are dead and I’m fucking elated about it. I went through all the phases of grief in a single second, then added another at the end — pure bliss.
“How doyoufeel about it?” I lift my eyes back to his. “After all, I’m the daughter of both the man and woman responsible for ruining your life.”
For a moment, he just looks at me. Then his thumb brushes over my skin again.
“You’re your own person, Adora,” he says quietly. “Nothing like them.” His mouth curves into a soft smile. “I couldn’t care less if you were the daughter of the Devil himself. I’d just kiss your devilish horns and love you just the same.”
I can’t stop a breathless chuckle leaving my chest. “There’s definitely something wrong with you. But there’s something wrong with me too.”
His smile stretches, so fucking stubborn. “I love whatever’s wrong with you. We can be wrong together.”
The question hangs between us before he asks it.
“Can we?”
The room suddenly feels smaller.
“What would your answer have been that day?”
I search his face, noting the exhaustion in his eyes, unable to hide the quiet hope.
“That day,” I say slowly, “my answer would’ve been no.” I let two breaths pass between us. “Today, however, things seem to be different.”
That quiet hope is suddenly not quiet anymore. It flares to life like it’s a wildfire and I just poured a ton of gasoline on it. I try to get the next words out, but they lodge somewhere behind my ribs. He must see something on my face, because that wildfire dies an instant death.
“Adora,” he says carefully. “You know you don’t owe me shit just because I took a bullet—”
“You took five,” I snap before I can stop myself. “But who the fuck is counting anymore?”
The words come out harsh. Accusing. A tear slips down my cheek, leaving a burning trail behind it. His hand jerks in mine like he wants to reach up and wipe it away, but the movement costs him. His fingers tremble. I squeeze his hand gently, keeping it down against the mattress. He’s not strong enough to fight me right now.
“I’m not fucking stupid,” I say, my voice cracking despite my effort to keep it steady. “I know I don’t owe you. Not like that. Not a relationship. Not a second chance.”
Something inside me splinters open. I didn’t even realize how tightly I’d been holding myself together until now.
