Page 33 of Jonas

So the breath is sucked out of my lungs as her hand cups my cheek, and she pulls back. I get a glimpse of her small smile, then her lips are pressed to mine. It's an innocent kiss. Just a simple touch of her lips to mine, and still, the whole world tilts.

All I feel is her.

It’s just a simple kiss, I try to remind myself. But now I’m worried that if she ever lets me in her bed, I may end up in a coma.

It's over in a year-long second. Then my brothers are slapping my back, and hugging Janey, and the women are laughing and rubbing backs. It's an overload, but a good one. One I'm used to. My family is chaos, and I control the overwhelm in all the other areas of my life, so I can take them as they are.

Through it all, I hold tight to Janey. I twine my fingers through hers, and pull her close. "Wife," I whisper, looking down at her.

Her smile is wobbly, but it's there. "Husband."

Those words penetrate deep, boring into my bones. I am her husband. It feels right in a way that almost nothing else has.

We sign papers, the prenup and the marriage certificate. I'm not sure how we got that so quickly, but I don't question it. Then we're making plans, arguing over restaurants for our wedding dinner, when Maverick's phone rings. He frowns, and steps away. His posture straightens, and he looks over at Colton. We all grow silent as we wait. Something isn't right.

Mav finally hangs up, and walks over to Colton. He puts a hand on his shoulder, and leans in, speaking softly, but still loud enough for the rest of us, crowded in tight, to hear. "That was the prison. Joker's been attacked. He's in a transport to the hospital right now.”

"How...how bad?" Colton asks. Ransom leans in, laying an arm around Colt’s shoulders. Colt’s shoulders are massive, but Ransom’s arms are still long enough to wrap him up.

Maverick's face is tight. "Bad enough they're transferring him. They wouldn't give me any details."

Colton moves to the door on autopilot, and we all follow. I turn to Janey. "This is our wedding day..." I don't know how to finish it.

She smiles and takes my hand. "Let's go. Your family needs you."

I nod, and pull her closer. "Our family, remember?"

The way her smile shifts and grows settles deep. I gave her that. A family.

And for now, it's enough.

14

JANEY

This isn't the kind of hospital waiting room I'm used to. There's no cracked vinyl seats, no antiseptic smell. Honestly, this room would be right at home in the lobby of any luxury hotel. I didn't know places like this existed this close to an Emergency Room.

"How much longer before we hear something?" Declan asks from his spot on the floor next to Cara's chair. There aren't enough places to sit. When we piled in here, after a hurried drive from the courthouse, Micah pulled Holly onto his lap, his hand cradling her bump. The rest of the men hovered around the room, waiting for the women to settle, then filled the rest of the chairs and dropped to the floor.

"I don't know, man. Evie said wait, so we wait," Ransom mutters. He's standing in the corner, eyes locked on the door.

There's so much about what we're doing here that I don't understand. I lean down to whisper into Jonas's, my husband's, ear. As soon as I sat, he dropped to the floor in front of me, barely resting his arm against my knee. And he's been there, unmoving, for the last hour. How can he sit so still for so long?

"I think I should go get some food for everyone. We might be here a while."

His rich brown eyes meet mine, then drop to my lips. He looks lost in thought, and I'm about to ask him again when he nods. "Yes. Let's go." He rises easily to his feet and takes my hand to help me up. I don't need the help, but I really like the way it feels. I like the way he reaches for me. And I like that he's coming with me.

"Food," he mutters to the room as we exit. His brothers nod but don't speak. It's eerie and completely unlike the men I know. Everyone's thoughts are with Colton and his brother.

Jonas's hand stays wrapped tight around mine as we wander through the halls. He walks but doesn't seem to have a destination in mind. When we come to a fork in the corridor, I gently pull him to the right, following the signs for the cafeteria. I want to know what he's thinking. I want to understand what's going on and why Colton's brother is in prison, but I don't ask. It's not my business, not really. Not yet.

And maybe not ever.

"I have heard that hospital food is disgusting. We should go somewhere else," he says, pulling me to a stop in the doorway of the cafeteria. I shoot a sorry smile at the woman behind us, and tug him to the side.

"The patient food is a little hit or miss, but the cafeteria isn't usually that bad. But we can go somewhere else. I just thought you might want to stay close."

"Close," he says, drawing out the words. "Yes, we should stay close. If Joker dies, Colton will need us."

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