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Four days. Four days of sitting beside Londyn, watching her moan in pain as her body attempted to heal itself. Each day, she would open her eyes for a little longer, staring at the ceiling. Although he was begging to take her to the pond, Riley and Gabi were insistent that he wait until she was fully conscious and the majority of the open wounds were beginning to heal.
Bone would read to her for hours on end. First, he just read magazines to her. Then it was dental periodicals. When he was bored with those, he attempted to read Charlie’s books but fumbled over the intimate scenes. Finally, he settled onThe 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time. As he read them, he felt the words weighing on his heart and soul.
First, it was a letter from Horatio Nelson to Emma Hamilton. Then it was a letter from Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan. On and on, dozens of letters evoking love, passion, and emotion.
“How do I love thee,” whispered Londyn. Bone smiled at her.
“What did you say?”
“The poem, how do I love thee, let me count the ways. It was one of my favorites,” she said, looking at him. Her eyes were both open now but still bloodshot and swollen. The purple, green, and black of the bruising were still prevalent. Her arm and shoulder were in a sling, but everything else was healing. Slowly.
“I’ve always liked that one as well,” smiled Bone. “My father used to recite it to my mother every Valentine’s Day. When I was kid, I thought it was icky.” He smiled at her, but she just stared at him. He wasn’t sure if it was too painful or if she was giving up.
“It’s not icky,” she said. “It’s very sweet. I wonder what it would be like to have someone love you like that.”
“You’ll find out, baby,” he said, gently stroking her hair. “You’re going to find out.”
“How can you stand to look at me?” she asked with tears in her eyes. “How are you not disgusted by me?”
“You are perfect,” he said, leaning closer. “Everything about you is perfect, Londyn. I wish I would have pushed you harder to talk to me, but I didn’t because I didn’t want to scare you away. I wanted to get to know you. I wanted to take you to dinner and dance with you at the next wedding. I’m sorry I didn’t demand that you tell me.”
“Ty, you can’t possibly be blaming yourself.”
“I am. I should have been with you,” he said with a serious expression.
“They would have killed you. I’m shocked they didn’t kill Parker.”
“Baby, that’s what we’ve been trying to tell you. We’re tougher than you think. Stronger. Better trained. We’re not just some average security company. We’re the best in the world. No joke.”
She stared at him for a long moment. His big hand held her smaller one, the one that wasn’t broken. He gently rubbed his thumb back and forth over her flesh.
“He laughed at me,” she whispered. “While they were beating my face and he was raping me, he laughed at me. He said this was what my life would be like from now on, for as long as I survived.”
“Well, he was wrong,” said Bone, attempting to control his anger. “He was dead fucking wrong. Your life is here. With me and with my family.”
“You’re just feeling protective,” she said gently, shaking her head. “We’ve only known one another a few weeks, Ty. You can’t possibly want to be with me. Especially now.”
“Especially now,” he said, leaning closer. “You are the bravest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever known, and believe me, I have dozens to choose from here. My own mother was raped by my sister’s father. She escaped and found her way to my father, but their age difference almost stopped her from taking a chance. Don’t turn away from me, baby.”
“You’re not ten years younger than me, are you?” she asked.
“No,” he laughed. “No, I’m several years older, but we’re perfect for one another, Londyn. I knew it the day you fixed my tooth. But I also knew you were hiding something from us.” She closed her eyes, nodding at him.
“I was embarrassed,” she whispered. “My father was a criminal, Ty. He was a horrible gang leader who stole from people and sold women and drugs. That’s in my DNA.”
“No, honey, that’s not DNA. That was your father’s poor decisions. You are not him, not even a little.”
“Am I safe here?” she asked. “Sometimes at night, I hear sounds in the hospital, and I get scared.”
“Baby, why didn’t you tell me?” he frowned. “I can ask Riley if we can take you to your cottage. I can stay with you there.”
“Will it be secure? Can anyone get to me?” she asked.
“No one except those that live here.” She nodded, and Ty disappeared for fifteen minutes. When he came back, Doc, Wilson, and Cruz were with him, prepared to move her back to her cottage.
Secure on the backboard, they lay her in the SUV and drove carefully toward the cottages. When they lifted her to the bed, Wilson checked her IVs, Doc checked her vitals, and Cruz double-checked all her wounds.
When a shadow darkened the doorway, Londyn’s eyes went wide with fear at first. Then recognizing the faces, she relaxed.
