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A sharp gasp stirred in her throat, and she scooted to the edge of her seat. “Cade?”
He stared back at her and grinned.
Matthew stood then dragged Jude from her chair. “We’ll give you two some privacy. Good to see you awake, man. You gave us all quite a scare. Thank you for saving her.”
Cade dipped his chin.
Laura waited for her siblings to leave before wedging Cade’s hand between hers. “I’ve never been so scared in my entire life.”
He reached up and cradled her cheek in his palm. “I know the feeling. When you were missing it was like someone plucked my heart from my chest and stomped on it. I should have kept you by my side. I won’t make that mistake again.”
She frowned, still shaken from the way the events of the day had unfolded. “Isaac and my dad are both in jail. I don’t think anyone else has plans to whisk me away to some creepy house in the woods.”
“Just to be on the safe side, I’ll keep you around so I can make sure of it.”
She grinned. “Deal.”
“Knock, knock,” Dr. Simon said before entering the room. “Good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”
He ran his hand from the side of Laura’s face down her arm to settle on top of her knuckles. “As good as can be expected.” He shifted to sit up then winced.
She took a step back, but he tugged her toward him.
Dr. Simon chuckled and shook her head. “Seems like Laura might be your best medicine, but we’d like to keep you for a few days to monitor you. Your recovery will take time. You might need help getting around for the first couple of weeks while you fight through physical therapy.”
“Don’t worry, he won’t be able to get rid of me,” Laura said, shooting Cade a wink.
“Good. I’m sure he’ll listen to you better than the nurses and doctors assigning him exercises.”
“Probably.”
“I’m right here,” Cade said, cutting into the playful banter.
Dr. Simon checked the vitals displayed on the machine beside the bed. “We see that. Okay, everything looks good. Fornow, just rest. Try to get some sleep tonight, and I’ll be back to check on you later.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Cade said then focused on Laura, tugging harder on her arm until she fit against him on the lumpy mattress.
“What are you doing? I’m going to hurt you.”
“You heard the doctor, I need to rest. And no way I can do that without you in my arms. I don’t think I can ever sleep alone again.”
His words warmed her deep inside and she pressed her lips to his. “Fine. As long as I’m not hurting you, I’ll stay just like this until someone kicks me out.”
He settled an arm around her and snuggled her close. “I’d like to see them try.”
She traced her fingers along his jawline, studying every line of his face. “I love you, Cade. If you would have died without hearing me say those words, I’d never have forgiven myself.”
“You don’t have to worry about that because I’m not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever.”
Sighing, she let her head fall into the crook of his arm and closed her eyes. She could sleep knowing the man of her dreams was finally her reality.
Cade gavethe room one last look then went in search of Laura. The sizzling sounds and decadent scents of garlic and oregano told him she was in the kitchen frying meatballs to go with the pasta they’d planned for dinner.
He winced, anticipating the heartburn she’d suffer at bedtime.
After Laura had moved in to help him during his recovery, she’d become so ingrained in his everyday life he couldn’t stand the thought of her leaving.
So she’d stayed, and it’d been the best three months of his life.
