Twenty-five #2
Ultimately, Natalia was admitted. While there were surface injuries like bruising, swelling, and minor lacerations, those weren’t the worst of it.
The doctors had determined that she’d suffered a concussion and wanted to keep her overnight for observation.
On top of that, there was blood in her urine, indicating she had severely bruised kidneys.
I didn’t know what her ex was facing—I truly didn’t care—but after learning what happened to her, I wasn’t sure there was anything he could endure that would be severe enough to make up for all that he’d put her through.
“Reid, I?—”
“Shh,” I whispered, holding her hand without the IV in my own. “Don’t worry about anything right now. You just rest. I’m going to be here with you until it’s time to take you home.”
Natalia didn’t argue. She was far too exhausted.
Her eyes drifted shut, and she was asleep in seconds.
Seated in a chair beside her bed, I watched her for hours. Cole had picked up some food around dinnertime and brought it in for me. And I’d made a call to both my dad and Danielle to let them know what had happened.
Danielle rushed over to check on her, and my father had done the same. I took that time to bring them both up to speed on the details, but through it all, Natalia slept.
Before my father went back home to my mom, I said, “You and I needed to have a conversation about this, but it can no longer wait. When Natalia wakes up, I’m telling her the truth about the contract.
I’m telling her what my intention was from the start and how my plans have changed.
If you still want me to take ownership of the retreat, I will, but it will stay running as it always has.
I’m not taking that place away from her, away from any of them. ”
He smiled at me, placed his hand on my shoulder, and squeezed. “Welcome home, Son.”
“I didn’t say I was moving back here.”
“Are you telling me that you’re not?” He jerked his chin toward Natalia’s bed. “Are you planning to leave her?”
I’d wanted to tell Natalia first, but it didn’t seem anything was going in the right order today. “I have some things to figure out with my business, but no, I’m not leaving her.”
“I didn’t think so. You were always a better man than I was, Reid. She’s lucky to have you.”
If only I could have believed that was true…
When everyone left for the night, I remained vigil at Natalia’s side. Because the moment she woke up and was no longer disoriented, I needed her to hear the truth.
I needed her to know that I loved her and wanted to give her everything.
Natalia
I didn’t know how long I’d been here, but judging by the light filtering into the room, I could only assume it was morning.
I only hoped it was just the next morning and not days later.
Reid was sitting where I last saw him, right beside my bed, and his hand, that was now red, cut up, and swollen, was covering mine protectively. His body was hunched over, his head resting on the edge of the mattress.
I closed my eyes and recalled everything that had happened from the time I left lunch with Danielle until now, and despite the fact I was in the hospital right now, I wasn’t quite sure what I felt the worst about.
Was it that my ex-boyfriend had known for more than a month now where I was living and had decided to attack me there? Or was knowing that Reid had kept such critical information from me worse?
Physically speaking, the answer was obvious.
But when it came to my heart, I couldn’t ignore how hurt I was by Reid’s choices.
My fingers twitched in his, and Reid’s head shot up. He blinked the exhaustion away and said, “Hey. You’re awake. Are you okay? Does anything hurt?”
I took a moment to consider the state of my body. “It aches.”
“Where?”
“All over.”
He nodded his understanding. “We can call the nurse in and see if they can give you something for the pain.”
“Can we talk first? I don’t want to risk them giving me something that’s going to make me drowsy.”
Reid jerked his chin down. “Of course. Whatever you want.”
Given the circumstances, I thought it was understood that Reid should have been the one who broke the ice and clarified things. When he didn’t, I simply asked, “Why?”
Disappointment washed over him. “Natalia, I can’t begin to tell you just how sorry I am for everything.
I never meant to hurt you. When I first came back to Cardinal and decided to stay here, it wasn’t without reservations.
I agreed to step in to fulfill my father’s role, mostly for the sake of my mother.
But I won’t lie and say that him offering up the retreat to me after six months wasn’t a big part of the reason I agreed as well. ”
“You plan to tear down the retreat?” I asked.
“At first, that was my plan. I didn’t hide how much disdain I had for the place from the start.
” His fingers tightened around mine. “But it changed, Natalia. Somewhere along the way, it changed because of you. I understand you have every reason to doubt me and feel cautious, but I need you to understand that everything that happened between us was real for me. All of it.”
Tears filled my eyes. “Everything?”
“Everything. I promise.” Reid lifted my hand in both of his and kissed my knuckles. “I fell in love with you, too, Natalia. And like you, I’ve been terrified to share that with you, because I was worried that I’d be saying too much too soon.”
My heart squeezed at his admission. Except for Danielle, nobody had told me they loved me in years. “You love me?”
“I do. God, I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone. Please tell me I didn’t screw this up with you permanently. Please tell me I can fix this between us.”
I licked my lips and regarded him. No matter how badly I’d been hurt, I was still so in love with him. But I was scared again, and I needed to protect myself. “What are your plans now?”
“My plans?”
“For the retreat.”
His features softened. “Nothing beyond keeping it as it is. I could never take it away from you. Never in a million years could I do that.”
“And what happens at the end of April?”
He swallowed roughly. “When we reach that point, my father will sign everything over to me.”
“What about your company?”
“It’s still going to be in Pittsburgh.”
And there it was. The confirmation I’d been dreading to hear for weeks now.
He was going back. Even if everything that had happened from the moment that I heard what his friend said to him in his office yesterday until now hadn’t happened, I still would have wound up with a broken heart.
“I see,” I murmured, rolling my head against the pillow to look away.
“Ask me what you want to ask me,” he urged.
Did he expect me to ask him to stay here with me? “It’s not my place to ask such a thing.”
“If not the woman who’s stolen my heart and turned my world upside down, then who?”
My lips parted, and my lungs stopped functioning.
“Ask me, Natalia.”
“Can you… Will you stay here…with me?
His mouth curved into a smile. “I will have to make a handful of trips back and forth between here and there for a bit to get things sorted, but yes, I’ll stay here with you. Every day. Always.”
My bottom lip trembled, tears welling in my eyes. “Really?”
“I love you, Natalia. You’re the only thing that matters to me. And I want you to be happy. If me staying here with you makes that happen, there’s not a chance I’m leaving you.”
He was going to go back and forth between here and there to figure things out, but Reid was going to stay here. He was going to do that for me.
Because I was the woman he loved. I was the woman who’d stolen his heart and turned his world upside down.
“If what you say is true, and you really do love me, can I ask you one more question?”
“You can ask me anything.”
“Why haven’t you kissed me yet?”
Relief leaked into his features as the tension eased out. Then his lips twitched, and he lifted from his seat to lean over and kiss me. With just one touch of his lips, I felt myself being slowly pieced back together.
“Does anyone know we’re here?”
“My parents do,” he answered. “Dad stopped in yesterday. Danielle did, too. Cole was here when we came in, and he brought dinner last night.”
I winced. “Sorry if I made a bad first impression.”
“You did nothing wrong. He knows that. And he’ll be by later today, so you can meet him.”
“Okay. If I scoot over a bit, will you climb into this bed and hold me?”
“I’ll do anything you want me to do, but let me help you. I don’t want you to hurt yourself worse.”
Reid lifted me, scooted me, and climbed in beside me.
Then he wrapped his arms around me and held me close, refusing to let go for even a moment.
Even when the nurse came in to offer me meds, Reid kept his hold on me.
And I finally settled in and accepted that perhaps he really did love me and that I hadn’t made a mistake when I gave him my heart.