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Law laughed at that before he glanced at Brady and asked, “You wanna tell them, or should I?”
Brady shrugged before grinning at me and pressing a kiss on my smiling lips.
“So,” Law started, and I turned my head to look at him, wincing at the slight burn on the side of my head, “I was in my office, reviewing some documents, and then I get a call from this angry man who wants to talk to me about my sibling.” I chuckled at the picture, and Brady squeezed my hand.
“To put it in a few words, Brady pulled my head out of my ass and made me realize how much of a dick I’d been. And once he told me you were hurt, I knew I had to come back and see you.”
I smiled at Brady. This man. Not only had he stayed by my side while I was unconscious, but he’d also mended my relationship with my brother. How did I get so lucky? “Thank you.”
Brady kissed my forehead, placing a palm on my cheek as he spoke, “Anything for you, princess.”
My cheeks flushed, and my eyes slid to Law, who mouthedprincesswith a shit-eating grin, and I knew everything would be okay, that he really did accept me for who I was.
Law gave me a hopeful look, his lower lip sticking out as he asked, “So, what do you think, sib? Can you forgive me?”
“Only if you forgive me for abandoning you.” Law’s face split with a wide smile, and he leaned down to hug me, being ever so careful of my injuries as he held me. The familiar scent of almonds washed over me, and I let out a deep sigh as the last bit of my family slotted into place.
Once Law left, people kept visiting, one after the other, and I was in awe of how many people seemed to care about me. First, it was Mama D and her husband, Ryan. She fed Brady a sandwich and brought soup for me that I knew I’d be asking a recipe for once I was better. After that, Luke and Scott showed up with Luke’s homemade cookies that I nibbled on since I wasn’t supposed to eat anything too heavy for a day or two, and I couldn’t resist them. Brady told me Cherry would be staying with Luke and Scott for the next few days so Brady could focus on me. Apparently, Cherry and Tressa—Luke and Scott’s cat—got along like a house on fire, and they loved having Cherry over.
After they had left, Rohan showed up with his arm around Jo, who looked like they hadn’t slept in a week. Jo apologized to me so many times during their visit, and each time I had to tell them that what their asshole stepbrothers did was not their fault. I was just glad it had been me and not them. They were such a tiny little thing; I was scared they wouldn’t have made it if they hadn’t made a run for it. For that matter, I knew I’d been lucky to survive, but I didn’t want to think about that.
I still couldn’t remember any of what had happened, but Officer Whitby told me that Jo’s statement would be enough to charge the assholes when they were captured, and I needed to take it easy but also try to remember it so they could be put away for a long time.
By the time we were finally alone, I was barely keeping my eyes open. Brady kissed both my cheeks, my nose, and finally my lips and whispered against them, “Sleep, sweetheart. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
I tucked the promise into my heart and let my eyes fall shut, knowing that as long as I had Brady beside me, he’d keep me safe.
23
Brady
Iclosedthedoorbehind me, leaning against it as I took a deep breath. Mama D had finally left. She’d been here the whole day, first helping me settle Charlie into their bed, then cooking up a bunch of dishes that I could reheat later. The refrigerator was so full that I knew that I’d only need to make breakfast for the next few days. Having a mom like Mama D was so fucking useful. I groaned as I stretched my arms, the past three days of sitting in a hard plastic chair catching up with me. I was so looking forward to sleeping in a bed tonight. What I was looking forward to even more was sleeping beside my love. I knew I couldn’t cuddle them tightly like I wanted to just yet, but sharing their warmth and knowing they were there, knowing they were okay would be enough.
I made my way into the bedroom—our bedroom—and smiled when I spotted Charlie waiting for me, still awake. Then I switched into caretaker mode and hurried to their side. “Are you okay? Do you need more pain meds?”
Charlie shook their head with a smile and grabbed my hand, tugging me closer. I barely stopped myself from tumbling over them and slapped their hand once I was steady. “Are you crazy? I don’t want to hurt you.” My voice was more like a shriek, but I didn’t care because my heart had started thundering at the idea of causing Charlie more pain.
They gave me a soft smile before dropping my hand and patting the other side of the bed. “I’m sorry. I’m okay. Just come on in, already. I feel like I haven’t touched you in years.” Didn’t I know it? I’d spent the last four days holding on to Charlie’s hand for dear life. I missed their warm embrace, their spicy-sweet scent that made me feel cared for and loved.
I quickly removed my clothes until I was in just my boxers before crawling under the covers and snuggling up beside them. Careful of the stitches on their stomach, I placed my arm on their hip, tucking my face against their chest and pressing light kisses over their bruises. My eyes flooded with tears yet again at the thought that I could’ve so easily lost them, and I sniffled as I pressed my lips above their heart, taking comfort in the steady beats. They were okay. They were alive. They were here.
“You okay?” they asked, their nose trailing through my hair as they breathed me in.
“Yeah. I just—don’t ever scare me like that again, okay? I can’t lose you. I love you too much.”
I didn’t know where all these tears were coming from. I wasn’t usually such a crybaby, and Charlie wasn’t in danger any longer. Still, the tears kept reappearing.
“I love you, too. I’m so sorry I took so long to say it. To think I could’ve died without telling you how I feel…”
“No one’s dying,” I insisted, before looking up at him. “Except for the assholes who hurt you. If I get my hands on them…”
Charlie squeezed me, and it took everything in me not to squeeze them back. “The cops will get them. Don’t worry. Now, how about we catch some sleep?”
I nodded against their chest before snuggling in, letting their spicy-sweet scent—that was slightly marred by the hospital scent, since they couldn’t fully shower yet—wrap me up in a cocoon as I finally let go of all my fears and let sleep claim me. We’d be okay.
Three weeks later, Charlie was moving around with the help of their crutch, though I still didn’t like them going anywhere other than the bathroom since they also had a cast on their arm and wouldn’t be able to catch themselves if they took a tumble. Despite that, they were determined to make me go back to work, and when I’d repeatedly said I wouldn’t leave them alone, they decided they would come with me and sit in the café.
To be honest, I did miss my café, but I also couldn’t bear to be away from Charlie. Every time I even thought about it, a strange fear that something might happen to them made it difficult to breathe. Taking them to the café seemed like an okay compromise, as long as they kept their promise of not moving from their seat. So after I was dressed and ready, we rode down the elevator to the parking lot. I pulled the keys out of my pocket as I helped Charlie into the passenger seat and stashed their crutch in the back.
