Page 19 of Happily Ever Maybe

Daisy’s gaze went to my hand, her eyes wide, and I shook myhead. I felt fine. Gus had even cushioned me from the fall the best he couldwith his arms. I wouldn’t forgive him if he got hurt because of me.

I would never forgive him for that.

“Gus?”

My heart raced, and I bent down, cupping his cheek. Therewas blood beneath him, but I couldn’t see where it was coming from. Why did hethrow himself on top of me like that?

He had to be okay.

“Let’s get you checked out.”

“What happened after we fell?” I asked, trying to clear myhead. Daisy pulled me away from Gus. I tried to stop her, but the others werethere, and she was checking me out. She was certified in emergency first aidand could help, but all I wanted to do was get to Gus.

Because he wasn’t moving.

“It was one man,” Daisy said, keeping her gaze on mine. Whenher attention moved down to my stomach again, I shook my head. I didn’t wantanyone else to know. The fact that she knew from that one hand movement told mehow close we were. The problem was, I knew Gus would also figure it out.Because we were that close, too. It didn’t matter that he didn’t have thefeminine intuition Daisy had. He would know.

I needed him to be okay.

I tried to look behind me, but Daisy took my face in herhands and forced me to look at her.

“Talk to me.”

“We saw the man coming through the east door. I don’t knowwhat tipped Gus off, but I moved at the same time he did, trying to get to him.Kingston was behind him.”

I tried to look for Kingston, but Daisy wouldn’t let me movemy head. “And?”

“I don’t know. The guy threw the bomb. I don’t even knowwhat kind it was. I couldn’t exactly see what was in his hand. But then Gusthrew himself on top of me.”

Rage and worry warred with each other. Worry for Gus. Thebaby. Everyone.

“Why would he do that?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Heshouldn’t have done that. I would’ve been fine.”

“Does he know?” Daisy asked, her voice low.

I shook my head. Of course, she knew it was Gus’s. Shefigured it out just by looking at me.

“Okay. Kingston’s fine. He tackled the guy. Everyone’s beingevacuated. We’re searching for more explosives, and the authorities are here,including the bomb squad. It’ll be out of our hands soon.”

I nodded, knowing Noah would have a headache to face withthe paperwork.

“And Gus?” I asked, swallowing hard.

“They’re putting him in the ambulance right now.”

I whirled away from her. My fear had let her keep me fromseeing him. There was still blood on the floor where he had covered my bodywith his, and the bomb had taken out the wall, or at least part of it. But thatwas mostly it. Tables were overturned beyond that, butfrom what I could tell, it was because of people running, not the bomb.

I looked around, checking for any other injuries, trying toget a sense of what the hell had happened, but I couldn’t. Our team was workinglike they should, getting everybody out. And I was here with Daisy because shehadn’t wanted me to see Gus being taken away.

“Was he awake? Was he alert?”

She didn’t say anything for a moment, and I knew that was ananswer in itself.

“We need to go to the hospital. I need to go to thehospital.”

“Yes, you do. Because we need to get you checked out. Youwere knocked out, too.”

“I didn’t lose consciousness,” I snapped.