A COWBOYS REDEMPTION

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐄

I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair. "Listen, dude, okay? That motherfucker terrorized my girlfriend for years! And thanks to your shitty security, he escaped with the help of my father, Beau Buckley! He attacked my girlfriend again! So yeah, I attacked him when I saw him."

They just sat there, staring at me like I'd grown a second head. I leaned forward, adding, "So by all means, if you want to arrest me, then go for it, but I won't apologize for what I did simply because I'm not sorry."

The detective scoffed, his lips curling up like he'd just tasted something sour. "Okay then, Mr. Buckley," he said, looking over at the officer in the corner. "Book 'em. Let's see how he does a few days in a cell."

I laughed, shaking my head. "This is bullshit," I muttered, standing up as the officer came over to put the cuffs on me. Just as we were heading towards the door, it swung open, and I watched as Akhilles, holding his briefcase.

The detective, Rick, looked surprised. "Mr. Diggs, can I help you?"

Akhilles chuckled, a smug grin spreading across his face. "Yeah, Rick, you can release my client or I'll have your job in my pocket by the end of the day."

Rick frowned. "Mr. Diggs, your client assaulted a man."

"Yeah," Akhilles replied, "that man is Malakai West. Mr. West is an escaped prisoner who assaulted a woman a week ago and ran me and her both off the road with her own vehicle."

The room went quiet. Akhilles raised an eyebrow, challenging Rick. "So, Rick, what's it gonna be?"

Rick sighed, glancing between us before finally rolling his eyes. "Uncuff 'em," he said to the officer.

I couldn't help but laugh as the cuffs came off. Akhilles always knew how to handle things. "Leave me and my client, please," he told the others, and they all shuffled out, leaving us alone.

Akhilles looked at me, his eyes narrowing in frustration. "What the hell were you thinkin', Buckie?"

I shrugged, a smirk playing on my lips. "Come on, Akhilles, you know you would've done the same."

"No, actually, I wouldn't have," he snapped. "I would've called the damn police and let them do their job!"

I rolled my eyes again. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Wyatt, we shouldn't be here. I shouldn't have had to come down here to bail your ass out when Milia just woke up and is wondering where the hell you are."

My ears perked up at that, the rest of his words going into one ear and out the other. "Wait... she woke up?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she woke up about thirty minutes ago and she was panicking, wondering if you and I were okay."

Relief washed over me, my heart fluttering at the thought of Milia awake and safe.

Akhilles patted my shoulder. "Come on, Buckie, let's go see your girl."

I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face. I pulled Akhilles into a hug, forgetting about his wounds for a second until he groaned in pain. "Sorry, sorry," I said quickly, pulling back.

We left the station, ready to see Milia, the one person who made all of this chaos worth it.

??°

As soon as I got to the hospital, I took off running down the hallways, my heart pounding in my chest, holding onto the gift bag I'd picked up for Milia. I couldn't wait to see her, to hold her again, and to tell her everything was gonna be okay. But as I got closer to her room, my steps slowed.

I stopped right in front of the door, peering in through the small window.

There she was, Milia, sitting up in bed with tears streaming down her face.

Mr. and Mrs. Zorell were on either side of her, holding her hands, their faces filled with worry.

Seeing her like that, my nerves hit me. What if she was mad at me?

What if I made things worse by not bein' there when she needed me?

Just then, Mrs. Melanie looked up and saw me. Her eyes softened, and she stood up, coming over to the door. "Wyatt?" she said softly, opening it and pulling me into a hug. "Oh, we were worried sick when Akhilles said you'd been arrested."

I gave her a sheepish smile, scratching the back of my neck. "Yeah, sorry about that."

She smiled back, patting my arm. "Come on, she's been asking about you."

I nodded and slowly walked into the room, my eyes never leaving Milia. She looked at me for a moment, like she couldn't believe I was really there. She tried sitting up straighter, wincing in pain, and before I knew it, I was at her side.

I sat down on the bed next to her, and as soon as I did, she broke down, pulling me close. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight. "Hey, hey... you're okay. I promise, you're okay."

Mr. Joseph stood up, giving my shoulder a squeeze. "We'll let you two talk," he said before he and Mrs. Melanie quietly left the room.

I pulled back just a little, lookin' into her tear-filled eyes. "Hey baby, what's wrong?"

Her voice trembled as she spoke, "I-I thought I would never see you again."

I gave her a soft smile, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Now why would you ever think that?"

"I-I thought I was going to die with you still upset with me, and we never g—" she started, her voice cracking.

"Shh, shh," I interrupted gently, pulling her back into my arms. "Milia... I'm so sorry I avoided you when I knew it wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have done that, and I'm really sorry for it."

She clung to me, her voice soft against my chest. "It's okay. I understand."

We sat there in silence for a moment, holding onto each other like the world outside didn't matter. I closed my eyes, just feeling the warmth of her in my arms, not wanting to let go.

After a bit, she whispered, "I heard you attacked Beau and Malakai and got arrested."

I couldn't help but chuckle, pulling away to look at her. "I sure did, and I'd do it again."

A small smile crept onto her lips, and I wiped away the tears streaking down her cheeks. "So does that mean they're gone for good?" she asked, her eyes searching mine.

I nodded, my voice firm. "They're gone for good."

Her face crumpled again, and she broke down into tears. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked. "I just can't believe it's all over. I can't believe this happened to me. Malakai tried to kill me." Milia replied.

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I held her tighter, trying to take away some of the pain she was feeling. "I know he did, baby. But he's gone now. He's going somewhere where he can't hurt you anymore."

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice small and scared.

I lifted my pinky, holdin' it out to her. "I pinky promise."

She looked down at my pinky, a small smile breaking through her tears. She hooked her pinky with mine, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she seemed a little lighter. "Thank you, Wyatt... for doing what you did for me. It means a lot to know that I have a knight in shining armor."

I grinned, tappin' her nose playfully. "It's great to be at your service, my lady."

She giggled, a sound that filled the room with warmth. "I love you so much, Wyatt."

"I love you too, Milia," I said, leaning in and kissing her softly. In that moment, all the chaos, all the fear, it faded away. She was alive, she was safe, and that was all that mattered.