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“That’s great,” I grumble with an eye roll.
She pins me with a glare and crosses her arms over her chest.Uh, oh.Gulping, I try to figure out what I did wrong. Thankfully, I don’t have to wait long.
“Yeah, Finn. Thatisgreat, isn’t it? Considering you could have died, leaving me here with two small children by myself. You’re a giant pain in my ass, you know that? I’ve been fretting over you since I got that dreaded call, yet you’re pissy over some not being able to function right for a few weeks? I would say some broken bones and bruises are pretty damn great, Finley McHale.” I wince as she uses my full name, trying to think of a way to diffuse the situation.
“Fuck, I’m sorry baby. I didn’t mean it like that,” I coo with a soft frown, reaching for her hand again. She looks at my non-casted hand as if she’s contemplating.
She takes it in hers, exhaling slowly. “I know, I’m sorry. A lot has happened, and I’m just still on edge. Knowing that we could have lost you…” she trails off, covering her sniffling with her hand.
“Don’t apologize, baby. I’m so used to being able to take care of my girls... Hey, where’s Ava?” I ask, craning my neck to see if the toddler was perhaps asleep in a chair. Noticing the room is bare, I meet the eyes of my wife.
“She’s with Dmitri,” she murmurs softly, giving the back of my hand a gentle kiss. “He wanted me to be able to have some time alone with you before she came in. He knew I’d wring your butt, so he thought it would be best to have her wait. Plus, he’s been missing his girls, so it was a win-win.”
Wanting her beside me, I muster up every ounce of strength I have and scoot over in the bed. Pinching my eyes shut, I bite my tongue so that I don’t groan from the pain. I exhale sharply and close my eyes, giving myself a second to let the pain diminish.
“What are you doing?” Skylar panics, shooting out of her chair.
“Get in.” I reopen my eyes , holding the covers back. “I need you close to me.”
“Finn,” she starts, a small look of shock on her features.
“Sky, baby,” I start pulling them back further. “It’s been a long day, and I would like to just feel my wife next to me.”
She stares at me incredulously for a short period, obviously contemplating her options. Reluctantly, she climbs in beside me, no doubt feeling the same need as me. As she lays her head on the pillow beside mine, the small breath of relief confirms everything. Her hand finds mine on the bed, and I lace our fingers together, bringing them to my lips in a soft peck.
“I love you so fucking much, Skylar. You, Ava, and the new baby… you’re my world, my universe, and galaxies and stars above. You three are the only ones I can think of when the light dims. While I was in that basement, all I could think about was getting back to you. All I could think about was you. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it back to you… I knew Natalia would ensure your safety,” I yawn, my eyes closing momentarily before opening. She looks up at me, her gaze twinkling with understanding as well as need.
“I have no doubt that you’d keep us safe. We love you too, Finn,” she whispers, laying her head on my shoulder. I feel my eyes droop as I stare at the beautiful creature peacefully existing next to me. The woman wrapped in my arms has given me the gift of life, now doing it for a second time. My chest constricts with the thought that I may have never been able to meet my beautiful boy or girl, but immediately lightens when I feel Skylar squeeze my hand in understanding. Placing my lips in her hair, I take a deep breath of the woman I missed.
We stay in silence for a while, just soaking in the feeling of being close to each other again. It’s not long before I drift off back to sleep with a piece of my world wrapped around me.
Chapter thirty-one
Declan
“Natalia,honey,”Ihint,trying to keep my cool. “You have to have some patience, my love.” I pinch the bridge of my nose between my thumb and index finger. She has got to be the most stubborn person on this planet.
“It’s been days, Declan,” she whines, propping her head up on her hands, gripping strands of her hair. I swear I feel my eyes twitch. “I need Eric to release me. I’m going stir crazy. Knowing that Rian is in the basement of our home, and I haven’t been able to see him. I can feel my fingers literally attempting to crawl away on their own accord.” Taking a deep breath, I sit on the side of her hospital bed in an effort to bring her down from her tantrum.
“I know,” I place my hand on the small of her back as a comfort, rubbing small circles. “Liam says they’ve been handling Rian for the most part. He’s just being a demanding pain in the ass.”
“But I want him to suffer bymyhand. He took everything from me, yet he’s still sitting pretty,” she huffs, folding her arms across her chest.
“I wouldn’t say he’s sitting pretty,” I retort, pulling my phone from my pocket. Scrolling through a series of photos, I hand the device to my lovely wife, watching her eyes flicker between thrill and disappointment.
“See, I should have inflicted those,” she groans. I watch her prepare to flop herself on the bed like a toddler and give her a pointed stare. She squints at me, her nose wrinkling up in irritation. She finally relents with an eye roll, opening her mouth to say something when she’s interrupted.
“How are we doing today?” Eric walks in, sitting across from her. I watch her open her mouth to make a smart comment.
“Natalia,” I warn.
“Ugh, I’mfine. Now can I please, please, go torture my prisoner?” She begs, her patience is wearing extremely thin. I find myself fearing for Eric’s wellbeing if this doesn’t go her way. Bracing myself for a cranky wife, I sit back to watch the tennis match.
He props his arm up on the table beside him and shakes his head. “Natalia.” He gives her a stern look, one that is almost identical to the one I gave her. “You know that I’m not going to release you if I don’t feel comfortable. You know better than to push the boundaries of healing. Now, I need you to be honest with how you’re feeling before you can go.”
“I’m going to go whether you like it or not,” she states matter-of-factly, putting her nose high up in the air. I smirk as the two go back and forth, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I swear to God,” he mumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You are worse than your father with your stubbornness,” he comments on an exasperated sigh. “At least let me make sure everything looks good. I refuse to let you have your little outbursts if you aren’t fully healed.” He wheels over on his stool, motioning for her to lay back. Lifting her shirt up to inspect the healing wound, he pokes around on it for a few moments.
