Page 103 of Take The Risk

​“That’s it.” He held my face, a look of pure reverence on his.

​“Ty,” I sighed. The lingering chill from that dark place I was in faded, warmed by his presence.

​“Welcome back, baby,” he breathed, emotion making his voice sound deeper. “Can you sit up now?”

​Could I? “I think so.”

​With infinite care, he helped me. When he went to move to the chair beside the bed, I held him. “Stay with me.”

​“I don’t want to hurt you.” He hesitated.

​“Then stay with me.” I tugged his hand gently, weaker than I realized.

​I would remember the way he looked till the day I died. Ty sat gently on the bed beside me, and I did what I’d been longing to do, even in that dark place. I curled as much as I could into him, letting his warmth seep into me. A shudder worked through his big body, and I knew he was just as affected as I was.

​“As cute as this is, what about me?” Alex put her hands on her hips. “I did just spend the morning beating Jeremy’s ass all the way back to Atlanta for you.” She harrumphed. “The ingratitude.”

​“Hi, my feral rescue friend.” I gave her the same greeting I did when she was the one in the hospital.

​In a very un-Alex-like moment, she burst into tears, rushing to the bed. I held out the arm Ty wasn’t holding and pulled her gently to my chest, letting her sobs soak my hospital gown.

​“I missed you, too.” I kissed the top of her head.

​I held her while she cried, Ty holding me. I felt the first tear in my hair and closed my eyes. Life had so few perfect moments, and I knew I’d cherish this one. There was only one thing missing.

​“Where’s Lock?”

​Alex lifted her head, rubbing angrily at her tears like they offended her. “Ah, yes. My brilliance.” She reached for a tissue from the box on the tray by my bed and handed it to Ty, who took it silently. “Lock is currently with Aunt Edith, who has essentially bought out the only hotel in town. He’ll be thrilled to see you. He said today you’d wake up. I lost a hundred bucks thanks to you.”

I raised an eyebrow or thought I did. I couldn’t really feel all of my body right now.

“I said you’d wake up yesterday.”

​“Ah.”

​She pulled her phone out of the back of her jean pocket, sending a text. Probably to Aunt Edith. I wasn’t sure I was up for seeing her.

​“They’ll be here soon. So how to pass the time?” Alex put a finger to her cheek in dramatic contemplation.

​“Alex,” Ty warned. “Can you give us a minute?”

​“In a minute.” Alex propped a hip on the foot of my bed. “There are some things she needs to know so she doesn’t start to overthink.”

​“Fine,” Ty sighed, knowing she was right.

​“The short version before you spiral: Lock is safe. Jeremy is handled for now. Amber-Rae is in jail. Your books are not ruined. Your house is still yours. And everyone who matters knows exactly who you are and loves you anyway.” She held up her hand, ticking things off on her fingers. “Also, I am temporarily acting as your human shield, crisis manager, and your permanent professional manager. I have a plan for your public statement and your publisher.” She winked at Ty. “I have some really epic thoughts about your future last name, but apparently near-death experiences do not give me legal authority over your branding, so I had to wait for you to wake up.” She shot me a dirty look like I’d deliberately chosen to be in a coma.

​“Wait!” I tried to sit up, hissing when pain stabbed me in the chest. “What do you mean?” New last name?

​Alex snapped her fingers. “That’s for later. Where was I? Ah, yes, your divorce from the tofu sandwich will be finalized in thirty-two days, and he got the bare minimum. I may have used the cheating thing to our advantage. Was there anything else?” She thought it over. “Nope. That’s about it.” Hopping up, she blew me a kiss. “I’ll leave you two kiddies to talk about what a glorious human I am and go wait for Aunt Edith and Lock.”

​The door closed behind her with a soft click.

​I tilted my head toward Ty and found him staring down at me.

​“I love you.” There was such emotion in that statement I wanted to cry. “I love you so much.” He choked up, and my heart, the wounded thing, healed from the wounds inflicted before the shooting. I didn’t need fancy words or long speeches. Those three simple words were a benediction and a promise.

​“I love you, too.”