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“Oh, Tori, you’re going to be fine,” Margo said. “I know it. You’re the toughest chick I know. You’ll be up and around before you know it, and we’ll plan the sickest wedding. I can’t wait to see what kind of wedding dress you’ll get. You’re going to be so beautiful.”
My lips turned up in a weak smile.
Margo leaned down and kissed Tori’s forehead. “You’re a fighter, my friend.”
My eyes welled up, but I didn’t let any tears fall, even though now would have been a good time to do it. I was safe with these women, and no one would judge me for losing it.
Diana squeezed my shoulders. “Don’t worry about Tori, Ridge. She’s a particularly strong wolf. She’ll heal quickly.”
“You can’t know that. She was stabbed with silver and sprayed with wolfsbane.” My voice broke. “That’s a lot to recover from.”
Both women gasped. Margo sobbed and Diana finally let some tears spill over her lids.
“Even so, she’ll soon be up and around, being her sassy self. It’s a delay, that’s all.” Diana sniffled. “It’s just a delay. Our girl is going to be up before you know it.”
The Bogfords sat with me and Tori for another hour before they left. The nurse understood that I wouldn’t be going anywhere and didn’t even try to get me to leave. Both women kissed Tori and hugged me, telling me they’d be by in the morning to check in on her.
The hospital settled down and quieted as people went home and shifts changed. There were a couple of law enforcement bodies around to keep an eye on things, and the hospital security had also doubled. I appreciated the care everyone was taking to ensure Tori’s safety.
Startled, I jumped up from my seat when Audrey stepped in. I glanced at the clock. It was close to ten at night. Visiting hours were over, and I wondered how she’d gotten in there. Then again, it was Audrey Greenthorne. When had rules ever applied to a Greenthorne?
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I wanted to see how she was doing.” Audrey took Tori in, her face softening with something that looked like sadness. I couldn’t be sure, though. “She’s going to be okay, right? Were the doctors able to repair the damage?”
Annoyance edged my thoughts. Audrey and I weren’t on the best of terms. Her parents were mostly at fault for that, but it still didn’t mean I’d lessen my resolve or lower my guard with her.
“Do you really care about her recovery, or are you trying to impress someone in town by looking altruistic?” I couldn’t help but let the question come out with a bit of a bite. I had no patience to deal with her games.
Rolling her eyes, she stepped further into the room. “For your information, I decided that I actually like Tori and want her to recover fully.”
“Why?”
“If you must know…I’d like to try to become her friend. I think she’d make a decent friend because the rest of my friends are mostly those my parents chose for me. I don’t even like most of them, and I tolerate the others.”
I couldn’t believe she’d admitted to any of that, even though it was clear what her parents had been doing to her all her life.
“Tired doesn’t even describe how over I am with my parents’ controlling nature,” she continued. “Nothing in my life is mine. Not one thing. Not a friend, not a lover…nothing. They’ve orchestrated everything.” A spark of mischief lit up her eyes as she gazed down at Tori, sleeping. “It’d be fun to have a fiery wolf like Tori around. I’m sure that’d piss them off.”
It astounded me that I could burst into laughter at a time like this, but I did. Imagining the Greenthornes dealing with Tori being Audrey’s friend was entertaining. Tori would befriend Audrey to rub that in to the Greenthornes, and she’d relish every second.
Audrey smiled, then turned serious. “Tori will be okay. I know it. The whole town knows it. She’ll return to her normal feisty self in no time, and I look forward to causing some chaos with her.”
I nodded at Audrey. “Thanks, Audrey.”
She stepped toward the door but turned around at the last second. “Please let me know if you or Tori need anything.”
It was interesting being on the receiving end of Audrey’s care. I was well-aware that it was all Tori’s doing. She made allies out of the most interesting people.
Just as Audrey made to step out of the room, my little wolf spoke.
Chapter29
Tori
“You know…” My voice was a hoarse, scratchy croak. “I’ll be the best damn friend you ever had. To piss your parents off, I’d probably do too good of a job, and you’ll fall in love with me madly.”
Hearing Audrey say she wanted to be my friend was a turn of events that I would never have bet on. This town never ceased to surprise me.
Before I could get anything else out, Ridge’s lips covered mine in such a passionate kiss that I was lost to the emotions it invoked in me. The pain even vanished. His emotions were tied into our kiss, and I wanted to weep with what they stirred within me.
