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“Don’t cry, Bethany, I’ll be fine.”
“Umm, that wasn’t me.”
With a start, Lacey realized the water had come from the other side. She rolled her head on the pillow to come face-to-face with Mason.
His hands gripped hers and he gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. He blinked and she saw the moisture there.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“Hey.”
Bethany stood. “I’m going to go down to the cafeteria and tell Grandma and Grandpa you’re okay.”
Her daughter leaned over and gave her a gentle hug, avoiding contact with her left side. Lacey snagged her hand. “You’re really here? You’re all right?”
“Yeah, Mom, I’m fine.”
“Okay.”
Bethany exited the room leaving her alone with the man she’d never fallen out of love with.
He looked haggard, worn out. And oh, so good.
“I almost lost you again,” he stated in a hoarse voice.
“Aw, I wasn’t going anywhere,” she tried to joke.
It fell flat.
“You almost got yourself killed.”
“But Bethany’s fine, so it’s all good.” She grimaced.
“Who shot me?”
He sighed. “Janice’s gun went off when you tackled her, so technically Janice did.”
“What happened to Janice?”
“Daniel shot her. She died at the scene.”
Lacey gasped, then winced at the pain in her side. Tears welled for her old friend, for the girl she grew up with, not the woman she’d become. “I’m so sorry.”
“She let anger and bitterness rule her heart for so long that eventually there wasn’t room for anything else. I’m not going to let that happen to us again.” He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I love you, Lacey,” he whispered. “I always have. I was a fool to believe Daniel over you.”
Emotion clogged her throat. How she’d longed to hear those words from him. “I love you, Mason, I really do. Can you forgive me for keeping Bethany from you? For making you miss the first fifteen years of her life?”
“I already have. Can you forgive me for being an immature jerk who wouldn’t listen?”
“Yeah.” She blinked at another onslaught of tears. “I can do that.”
Mason leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. “As soon as you’re better, will you marry me?”
She couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. “I’ll have to ask Bethany, but if she says it’s okay, then I would love to.”
“Bethany says yes.”
Mason and Lacey jerked their gaze to the girl who stood in the doorway with a sheepish look on her face. “Sorry. I was coming back to get my purse and couldn’t help but overhear.” She gestured to the small bag and Lacey shook her head.
