Page 43 of Awakened By the Guardian

“I wasn’t afraid of you, Gary. I’m afraid for you. But we don’t have to talk about this tonight. There’s so much going on. I’m overwhelmed.”

“Yeah,” he said as she pulled into a parking spot in front of their apartment building. “Me too.”

Except, he didn’t sound overwhelmed. He sounded depressed.

She climbed out of the van and opened his door, went through the steps of unlocking his chair and lowering the ramp. He waited as he always did, sitting patiently while the machinery worked. But this time, instead of looking at her face, he was staring at his hands. Or rather, his clenched fists.

“You’re still angry,” she said when his wheelchair ramp touched concrete.

He looked up, but not at her. “I’m furious.”

She sighed. She didn’t know how to help. “You can try again in a few days. You’ll be stronger. A whole lot can change.”

“Or nothing.” He looked at her, his expression bleak. “Remember what Dr. Sherilyn said? I have to move fast. But I can’t. Talk to me, Margaret. Please. I’m spinning, and it’s taking me to some dark places.”

She squatted down in front of him, needing them to be eye to eye when she said this. “Here’s what I’ve been thinking. I just had the most amazing experience in my entire life, a delightful orgasm with my best friend. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt that. There was no pressure to perform or a need to please him, it was just about me sharing something wonderful with him. No pressure, just…fun.”

His expression lightened. “It’s supposed to be fun.”

She nodded. “I just discovered that I’m not dead down there, or up here”—she touched her heart—“because of you. And I believe you would have stayed with me even if I hadn’t learned that, but I did. And we can’t enjoy the discovery because you’re wrapped up in risking your life for a pair of legs. A pair of legs that I don’t need to love you back. I never have.”

He banged his hand on his thigh. “I want to be a whole man, Margaret. Don’t you get it?”

“Yes. But you’ve always been a whole man to me. I was the broken one.”

“You’re not!”

She flashed him an impish grin. “Apparently not. Thanks for showing me.”

He smiled and waggled his eyebrows. “There’s a whole lot more fun to discover, you know.”

She nodded, her heart beating faster. “I assumed. But we can’t if you’re dead or insane from trying to get back your legs. Gary, I don’t care if you ever walk or not. I never have. I care about having you in my life.”

He stared at her a long moment. She could see the hope sparking there, and fear, but she didn’t waver one iota.

“I love you,” she said. “And I want to explore more with you. For the rest of our lives.”

He nodded, transfixed. “Whatever you need.”

She smiled. “A shower. And some time alone to process. I need to get my head and heart settled before we embark on happily-ever-after. And I need to know that you’ll be okay waiting tonight. That you won’t⁠—”

“I won’t drink any more tap water. I swear.”

She squeezed his hand as they walked into the apartment building foyer. “Good. I’ll bring breakfast over first thing tomorrow morning. Deal?”

He smiled and hit the elevator button. “Deal.”

The elevator arrived, and they went in. Margaret relaxed, thinking that she felt good. Gary had promised not to try anything stupid tonight, and she wasn’t dead below the waist. She knew a shimmering glow of happiness because she loved him. Somehow, they would make the future theirs.

He squeezed her fingers then stretched up his head to look at her. She understood, bending at the waist so she could kiss him. She didn’t care that the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Gary had all her attention. Gary with the light brown eyes and the teasing smile. Gary with a mouth that tempted her and the dimple that was the secret to all his charm.

He cupped her cheek as she angled her head to meet his, and then their lips met.

Heaven.

“Is that where you’ve been all this time?” a harsh voice demanded from the hallway. “Fucking a cripple?”

Margaret’s head jerked up, and she felt Gary tense. Down the hall, a person stood before her loft door, and a closer inspection told her it was Jesse the pilot. She could tell by his voice, mostly, because the Jesse glaring down the hall was nothing like she remembered. He was huge and his face was distorted in horrible ways.