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I changed the subject. “Have you talked to my parents?”
“My dad has.”
“Are they coming to see me?”
She frowned. “I’m sorry, Cove.”
“Yeah…” I retorted.
Grabbing my hand again, she sat down. “They don’t matter anymore. You’ve always been a part of my family, and now Jace is going to make it official.”
I contemplated what she was stating with such certainty. For as long as I could remember, I wanted to have my parents. For the first time in my life, it didn’t feel like I needed them.
Because I was silently hoping…
Haven was right.
Thirty-Two
Jace
I pulled the chair closer to her beautiful face. Reaching for her hand next, I lifted it to my mouth and kissed her palm.
“Don’t ever die on me again.”
“I still can’t believe that happened.”
“Were you being honest with the nurse? Do you really not remember what happened?”
“Everything after telling you I hated you in the garden is gone. I don’t remember being shot, Jace, and I’m kind of grateful for that. I don’t want to remember it.”
I nodded.
“Can you fill in some blanks for me, though?”
I nodded again.
“Who was it? Do you know who shot me?”
“I do.”
“Okay…”
“I took care of it.”
“That’s all I get?”
“Bunny, you’re safe. That’s all you need to know.”
“Alright.” She moped for a second. “What about you?”
“I’m safe too.”
“And your family?”
I kissed her hand again. “You don’t have to worry about anything. I took care of it all.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means, I’m finally free.”
Her eyebrows pinched together. “How free?”
“Since you don’t remember being shot, I imagine you don’t remember anything after that either.”
She shook her head.
“Well, that part I can fill you in on.” Inhaling a deep breath, I prepared myself for what I had to tell her. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you, bunny.”
“I’d expect nothing less. You don’t have much of a bedside manner, but I still want to know.”
“You died, Cove.”
She slightly gasped.
“It was the scariest fucking minute of my life.”
Her lips parted. “I don’t know what to say. How did I—”
“I performed CRP and shocked you myself.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“The paramedic called your death and I just reacted. I fought for you and thank God I did.”
“Holy shit, you saved my life.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to make it without you. I couldn’t lose you, bunny.”
“Do you mean that?”
“With every bone in my body.”
Even with all her swollen face, she was still fucking beautiful. I wanted to reach up and place a strand of hair behind her ear and kiss each imperfection that marred her flawless skin. Instead, I sat back and admired her from afar. Her eyes were so full of life, gazing back at me like I was everything to her.
“You wanted to know the pieces to my puzzle, and I told you. Do you remember what happened before getting shot?”
She bowed her head, letting me know she did.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that twice, Jace. I can only imagine what it felt like for you, especially since you lost Hope and her baby. Losing someone you love is always hard, no matter the circumstances.”
Not hesitating, I expressed, “I wasn’t in love with her. She was never mine, bunny. Our bond simply came from losing Tony. She was always in love with him. Even in her letters I saw how much she still wanted to be with him. We were just two lost souls who found each other, and it was comforting to feel like I had someone who understand what I was going through. Hope was easy to talk to because I was writing her letters. Almost as if I was writing in a journal. Nothing of what I shared with her was ever face-to-face. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I do. It sucks to feel alone.”
“You’re not alone. You have Haven, my family, and most of all, you have me. You’ll always have me.”
“What do you mean I have you?”
Brushing the hair away from her cheek, I let my fingers linger and peered deep into her eyes. “I love you, Cove Noel.”
Her smile lit up her entire face.
“I told you I loved you when you were dying in my arms, and I’ll say it over and over again if that’s what it takes to keep you in my life.”
Tears filled her gaze.
“Please don’t cry.”
“They’re happy tears.”
Unable to resist, I leaned forward and kissed them away as they slid down her cheeks. “I’m so fucking in love with you. You’re the first woman I’ve ever been in love with, bunny. I promise that I’ll never hurt you again.”
“I love you too,” she cried, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
She shut her eyes, going through the motions of what I was confessing. I kissed my way to her mouth, needing to taste heaven again. When her heart rate accelerated on her monitor, I reluctantly pulled away.
