“Hey. We’re getting you help, okay?” Tears fill my eyes at the sight of the man who once showed me such love and kindness, now his face bloody and bruised.
“Okay.” He takes a deep breath, then closes his eyes.
“Jack? Wake up. You have to stay awake.”
But his head falls to the side, and his mouth falls slack.
“Jack!”
“I really am okay, Anastasia,” Jack insists as I offer him another pillow. He’d managed to break free of the bindings holding him to the chair and stumbled his way here. So now he’s tucked away in my guest bedroom, having escaped with only surface-level injuries and dehydration. It’s such a relief to have him back, but I can’t get the image of him collapsing at my door out of my head.
“I just want to make sure you’re comfortable.”
“You have successfully done that,” he replies with a soft laugh. When I go to move the glass of water closer to him on the nightstand, he covers my hand with his. “I’m fine, Anastasia. Really.”
When I look over at him, he removes his hand and smiles awkwardly.
“Sorry, habit.” He folds his hands in his lap.
“The doctor said rest. So—do that. I’ll come get you when it’s time for dinner.” With one final smile, I leave the room, then close the door behind me. I lean back against it and close my eyes, trying to ease the anxiety.
We still don’t know who took him.
Who tried to kill Sawyer—again.
And now, my ex-boyfriend is resting in my guest room, while my new boyfriend and Weston are crashing in my living room.
“He doing okay?” Sawyer’s voice cuts through the anxiety. That is, until I open my eyes and see the harsh set of his jaw.
“I think so.” I push off the door and move down the hall toward him. And he doesn’t step out of my way when I reach him. His face is still smeared with ash from the explosion, though he changed out of his wet clothes as soon as we got back from the hospital with Jack. “Are you okay?” I ask him. We haven’t had any time to talk since the explosion.
“Just a little explosion.” He shrugs. “No big deal.”
“Sawyer.”
“It’s fine, Anastasia.” He takes a deep breath. “Guess I’m feeling a bit?—”
“Jealous?” Weston offers from the couch.
Sawyer rolls his eyes. “Gee, thanks, Cowboy.”
“Happy to help.” Weston waves his hand at us.
“You don’t need to be jealous, Sawyer. That’s ridiculous.”
“You spent eight months with him. With what happened, what if...” he trails off. “Look, I’ll get it, okay? I won’t understand, but I’ll get it if?—”
I stretch up on my tiptoes and press my lips to his. Sawyer’s arm comes around my back and pulls me in, while I keep mine firmly on his chest. Right over his heart. After a few moments, I pull away. “I love you, Sawyer. Jack needs my help, and I won’t turn him away. No matter what.”
He visibly relaxes. “I love you, too.”
I smile at him. “Then go get a shower so I can start dinner.” I stretch up on my tiptoes again. “Because you stink, SEAL.”
He laughs and shakes his head as he moves around me and down the hall.
After the door to my bedroom closes behind him, I move into the living room. Weston’s grin stops me in my tracks. “What are you smiling about?”
“You.” He gets up and follows me into the kitchen.
