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“Mom, I’m okay,” Jess said. “I’m fine, I promise.”
“Manson Reed?”
Her father approached, and I hurriedly stood up. He extended his hand, shaking mine first, then Vincent, Jason, and Lucas’s. He was wearing only a coat over his blue pajamas and slippers. “The police told me you saved my daughter. It’s a shame we didn’t have the chance to meet under better circumstances, but I hope we can get to know each other after all this mess.” He looked over at Jess and shook his head, his eyes shining. “I don’t know what we would do without her. I...thank you. Thank you for looking after her. For protecting her.”
“We always intend to keep her safe, Mr. Martin,” I said, putting as much emphasis onalwaysas I could.
“We love her,” Vincent said, and Mr. Martin looked surprised to hear it stated so bluntly. But I think we were all done mincing words. There was too much left unsaid for far too long.
Mrs. Martin was now weeping on Lucas’s shoulder, which was a sight to behold. He was rubbing his hand on her back awkwardly, saying, “Now, now, don’t work yourself up over all this.”
“We all love her, sir,” Jason said. “That may not be what you want to hear from us, but —”
Mr. Martin held up his hand, stopping him. “All I want to hear is that my daughter is safe, happy, and loved. It’s not my business to tell her how to live her life.”
Despite everything that had happened, it still brought relief rushing through me to hear him say that. I was so damn tired — tired of fighting, of struggling. I wanted peace. I wanted to live the life I’d been fighting for.
Mrs. Martin suddenly came up beside me, wrapping her shaking arms around me. She was still weeping and shivering with the cold. She hadn’t even put a jacket on.
“You saved my baby,” she sobbed, holding on to me for so long that I had no choice but to hug her in return. She kept thanking me, crying and apologizing. I didn’t know what to do or say other than to comfort her.
The paramedics were preparing to leave, readying Jess to be transported to the hospital to get her head checked out. She was lucid again, or close to it. The remnants of panic that still gripped me were chased away once I held her again, joining her in the back of the ambulance.
“You look so tired,” I said. “Do you feel okay? How’s your head?”
“I’m okay,” she said, her words running together. She still sounded spaced-out, despite the brightness in her eyes. “I’m really sleepy. But they said it might be because —” She yawned. “Because of a concussion. I don’t feel concussed.”
“We’re not taking any chances,” Lucas said firmly. It was maddening for him that only one of us could ride in the ambulance with her. Vincent was struggling to get him into the WRX so they could follow us to the hospital. “I want them to check you out, run whatever tests they need to. What if you’ve got internal bleeding or something?”
“Don’t freak yourself out,” Jason said. He planted both his hands on Lucas’s shoulders, steering him toward the garage. “I’m going to get those nurses to fucking drug you when we get there. You’re going to give yourself a heart attack.”
One of the paramedics told me I needed to ride in the front passenger seat, but I pretended not to hear them. I laid my head down against Jess’s chest, closing my eyes. I wanted to hear her heart beating, strong and steady. I wanted to feel her warmth, her soft skin, her beautiful voice.
“I love you,” she said. It sounded like her sleepiness was winning, as the ambulance bumped out of our yard. “I don’t ever...ever want to be without you. Please...please promise...”
She was half asleep. Maybe she didn’t realize what she was asking, or maybe she was more coherent than I was. It didn’t matter.
“I promise, angel,” I said. “I promise you’ll never be without us again. You’ll never be alone. You’ll never have to doubt.” I kissed her fingers, watching her beautiful face as she closed her eyes. “I love you, Jess. Then, now, and always.”
