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“The baby is fine, Beck,” Rainey promised, covering Beck’s hand with her own. “You got lucky.”
“I’m not feeling very lucky right now,” she mumbled.
“How about we get out of here and let them have some time?” Slater asked Rainey.
“Wait—what happened to Felicity?” Beck asked. “I thought she shot you.”
“Naw,” Slater said. “Actually, I shot her—in the leg. She’s in surgery now. She went in just after you. After she heals, she’ll be spending some time behind bars for attempted murder and a bunch of other charges that Trinity has agreed to come up with. She’ll be handling the case for us.” Knowing that her friend was going to be stepping up to take care of the legalities was a relief. “She said that she’ll be in to see you later today.”
“Thanks, Slater—for everything,” she said. He nodded and patted Knox on the shoulder.
“I’ll be in first thing in the morning to visit you after I drop off Ella at preschool. If you need anything, just call me,” Rainey insisted.
“Thanks, Sis,” Beck whispered. She watched as her sister and Slater left, able to feel Knox’s eyes still watching her. “Can I have some water?” she asked. “My throat feels like it’s on fire.”
He poured her a glass of water and helped her take a sip. “That’s probably from the tube that they had to put down your throat to operate.”
“They had to operate?” she asked.
“Yes,” he breathed, setting the glass of water down. “The bullet didn’t exit your body, so they had to go in to dig it out. Luckily, it didn’t hit any bones, but it tore through a few ligaments. You’ll have to have some physical therapy and take time to heal, but you should make a full recovery.”
“That’s good,” she breathed, laying back against her pillow.
“You shouldn’t be in this bed, Beck,” he insisted. “I should be the one laying here, recovering from surgery.”
“If she would have shot you, it would have gone through your chest and I’m betting you wouldn’t have been in this bed at all, Knox. I couldn’t lose you. I thought that I could push you out of the way and move before the bullet hit me, but I was wrong.”
“You put yourself and our baby in danger, Beck,” he whispered. “I could have lost you.”
“But, you didn’t lose us,” she challenged. “We’re both right here,” she said. Beck threw back her sheet and patted the bed next to her with her good arm. Knox looked around the room as if expecting someone to walk in and tell him that he couldn’t do what she was asking.
“This isn’t high school, Knox,” she said. “You can get into bed with me.” He slid in next to her and she snuggled into his side. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He was so quiet sitting next to her, Beck wondered if he was going to talk or if he just wanted to lay there in silence. Finally, he cleared his throat, “When I was just a kid, my mother took off, leaving me with my grandmother.”
“Oh Knox,” she breathed.
“Let me just get this all out, Honey,” he begged. “I’ve never told anyone this before. The only person who knows about my past is Ace and that’s only because he’s my oldest friend and was there for part of it.”
“All right,” she promised. “I’m listening.”
“Thank you for that, Beck,” he said, pulling her hand up to kiss her knuckles. The man was honestly swoon worthy. “I was about five when she left me on my grandmother’s doorstep. My biological father wasn’t really in the picture. He’d show up to Nan’s house when he needed something from her. He knew that his mother wouldn’t turn him away.”
“Your mom left you with your father’s mother?” she asked.
“Yeah—her own mother had died when she was just a kid and I guess no one really taught her how to be a mother. Nan tried. She took my mom and I in when my father took off. I guess she felt a sense of obligation toward us since her son couldn’t seem to handle his own responsibilities.”
“She sounds like a wonderful, caring woman,” Beck said.
“She was,” Knox agreed. “I lived with her until I was almost eighteen and then she passed. I had no where to go and no one to take me in. My father hadn’t been around in years and my mother didn’t bother to stay in touch. When the state showed up to take me to a foster home, I bolted. I was just a few months from turning eighteen and was capable of taking care of myself. I guess that’s why they never really came looking for me. Nan’s house was auctioned off and I lost everything from the life that I knew with her. I basically had the clothes on my back.”
“How awful,” she breathed. She cuddled closer into his side, waiting for him to go on with his story.
“Ace’s family took me in and I lived with him for about a year, until I could get enough money together to get my own place. God, my first place was a hole. Ace even moved into that shitty little apartment with me, so that I wouldn’t be alone. We found the Smokey Bandits and they accepted us into their club and even became our family—our brothers. I don’t know where I would have been without Ace and my club. Nan had given me a home and raised me but Ace and the Bandits made me the man I am today. I owe them my life.”
“You’re very lucky to have found them,” she agreed. “Why are you telling me all of this now, Knox?” she asked.
“I told you when we first met that there was a reason I craved control. Almost loosing you set me off, Beck. I had no control over what was happening to you and that almost destroyed me. I wanted you to know why I am like I am,” he whispered. “I wanted you to know why I need you’re submission.”
She smiled up at him, “Thank you for telling me,” she said. “You have me and my submission, Knox. None of that has changed.”
“Promise me that you won’t go and do anything like that again, Honey. I’d rather die than lose you,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head.
“I can’t make you that promise, Knox, because I feel the same way about you. I’d do just about anything to keep you alive and safe, including risking my life.” He shook his head at her and just when she thought that he was going to give her a fight, he smiled.
“I guess we’re two lost causes then. We belong together,” he said. He was right—they did belong together and she finally saw that.
“I spent so much time trying to fend you off. I kept telling myself that if I didn’t let you in if I didn’t call this thing between us a relationship, I’d be able to keep my heart safe. But, that all changed when I realized that you already owned my heart. You own all of me, Knox. I love you.”
“I love you too, Baby,” he breathed, giving her a gentle kiss. “You are my whole life now. I’d be lost without you.” Beck cuddled into his side and began to drift off. She wasn’t sure how or when, but she had found the type of love that she never believed was possible. Knox was that for her—endless possibilities and complete love, all wrapped up in a sexy as sin package. And, she was lucky enough to call him hers.
