Page 79 of Say it Ain’t So

“I don’t need you hiring anyone,” I interrupted. “I’m perfectly capable⁠—”

“You were shot on my watch⁠—”

“I can take care of myself!”

“Hey.” Joss’s hand was back on my shoulder, but whatever calming effect she had earlier didn’t quite take the edge off. “It’s okay. Everything will be fine. Rylan will be a perfect gentleman”—Lee scoffed—“and I’ll let you know if something comes up that I can’t handle.”

He didn’t look convinced, but he shook it off when Vinny touched his arm. “Give her a chance.”

The thought of Lee questioning Joss’s ability had me fuming even harder. He was damn lucky he decided to leave. Boss or not, I would have kicked him out if the big man hadn’t decided to go on his own.

Once the door was secured behind them, Joss turned to me with tears in her eyes. “Rylan.”

“Come here, gorgeous.” I didn’t even finish before she tossed her bag aside and rushed to me.

Holding her in my arms for the first time in nearly three weeks had my throat tightening.

Damn, I missed this.

The time away from her had been some of the worst of my life, and it wasn’t just because of her absence. The bullet that hit my thigh just missed my femur, but the impact was strong enough that it fractured the bone anyway. I’d been rushed to surgery, had a metal rod and titanium nails inserted in my femur to hold it together, and was put in traction for two weeks. They’d been about to release me when they found internal bleeding—a fragment of bone had been missed when they were cleaning my wound during the first surgery, and it nicked an artery, which required another emergency surgery to stop the bleeding.

Joss and I had talked on the phone a few times when I wasn’t swimming under the effects of the pain medicine they’d given. But there was a gulf between us greater than the distance between the Kansas City hospital and her apartment.

That thought had me sobering. Because that gulf was still there even if the distance was not.

How long would she put up with my inability to take care of myself? How long until she went away and didn’t come back?

I had to get better. I had to get back on my feet so I could prove to her I was okay.

I had to get better in case she didn’t come back.

“I missed you so much,” Joss whispered in my ear before she edged back enough to turn her face and press a kiss to my lips. “God, Rylan, I thought I was going to lose you.”

“Never,” I murmured, kissing her again. “I’ll never leave you.”

Not like she left me.

How long until she did that again?

She cupped my cheeks in her palms, staring down at me with those tear-filled eyes. “I love you.”

Was I a crazy motherfucker for wanting to soak up everything about her until she decided to go? Probably. Did that mean I was going to stop?

Not a chance.

“Love you more.”

Her smile was fucking glorious. I could have stared at her for days.

“Let’s get you settled in, shall we?”

That hit me hard in the chest. I grabbed the wheels and pulled out of her grip. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Been doing it since I was five.”

“Rylan—”

I didn’t give her a chance to finish. I wheeled myself to the chair Lee left my bag from the hospital in and grabbed it. Unfortunately, it landed hard on my leg when I tossed it on my lap, and I nearly doubled over in pain.

“Rylan!” Joss was beside me in an instant, stealing the bag from my lap. “Are you okay?”