Chapter 31 Willa
Willa
Dean has barely left my side since I’ve been in the hospital.
Nurses stopped trying to kick him out days ago when they realized it wasn’t going to work.
The only reason he’s venturing out today is out of necessity.
The court hearing deciding the ranch’s fate is tomorrow, but Tate and Kincaid want to talk first.
I doubt it will change anything, but it’s good to see Dean trying.
“I’ll be fine,” I say as Dean frowns at me again.
“I hate leaving you.”
“Because you’re overprotective and won’t stop fussing over me.” I squeeze his hand, and he sits on the bed.
“Oh, you have no idea, princess. I’m sticking a tracking device in you when we get back to Vegas. Never letting you out of my sight again.”
“You do realize that kind of comment makes you a walking red flag, right?”
He grins. “And you’re the bad girl who loves that about me.”
Dean’s lips land on mine, and I don’t care if he’s a bad idea or if life with him will certainly always come with some danger. I choose him regardless.
“I do.” I wrap my arms around his shoulders, pressing our foreheads together. “But you only get to inject a tracking device in me if I get to inject one in you as well.”
“Whatever gets you off, princess.” His hand drags down my throat, gently caressing my arms and pausing at my IV line. “I hate leaving you when you’re like this.”
“Soul and Venom are both going to be in the waiting room, looking out for me. Besides, I’m stuck in bed and boring as hell. Nothing fun here.”
“You’re still in pain.”
“Getting shot will do that, apparently.” I frown. “It hurt worse than I thought.”
“Did you expect it to feel good?”
I shrug. “I don’t know what I expected, but I’ve seen your scars, and you survived getting shot once or twice.”
Dean holds up four fingers.
“You’ve been shot four times?” My eyes widen.
“Comes with the job.”
“Clearly you weren’t joking about the danger part.”
“Second-guessing your decision?” He cups my cheek.
“Never.”
This time, I’m the one who pulls him in for a kiss. I’m starved, desperate for his touch. Now that he’s given me one kiss, I can’t get enough of them. Every time his lips graze mine, I crave more. Dean woke something inside me, and I’ll never lock it away again.
When he pulls back, I can barely breathe. His dark eyes take all my thoughts away.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I know.” I brush my fingers down the back of his neck. “Good luck with your brother.”
Dean leaves, and I close my eyes, listening to the bustle in the hallway.
It’s quiet this early in the morning, with only the occasional commotion of people rushing around if something happens.
I’ve never liked hospitals. But after saying goodbye to my mother in one, I’ve avoided them at all costs.
Hospitals might be a place for healing, but they’re also a place of loss.
I lay my hand over the bandage on my side, considering how much worse this could have been. For a moment in the cabin, I saw the light at the end of the so-called tunnel. I felt myself fading. Dean’s voice pulled me back.
My phone rings on my nightstand, and I reach over to grab it, seeing a video call from Aimee coming through. When I answer the call, the faces of all four girls fill the frame. Tempe and Reagan are on the couch at Reagan’s house, while Luna and Aimee crouch behind them.
“You answered.” Luna smiles, waving hello.
I laugh. “Did you think I wouldn’t?”
“Chaos said you’ve been sleeping a lot.”
“He’s been keeping you updated?”
“We haven’t given him a choice,” Aimee says proudly. “We added him to a group text and refused to let him out. I’m sure he’s thoroughly annoyed with us at this point.”
“Good.” I laugh. “Dean needs people keeping him on his toes.”
“So how are you?” Tempe asks.
“I’m okay,” I assure them. “If anything, I got lucky. The doctor said if the bullet had been an inch to the left, it would have been much worse.”
It’s amazing what one inch can change.
What one decision can change.
One small thing can alter everything.
“Enough about me. I’m boring and stuck in a hospital room. Distract me from all of this. How are things there? How are the babies?”
“Good.” Reagan smiles.
“Staying put for now.” Tempe rubs her belly. “The doctors doubt I’ll make it full term, but they said as long as Ember holds out a couple more weeks, we shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”
“Ember. I love that name.”
“Jameson came up with it.”
“Of course he did.” Luna nudges Tempe’s shoulder, then looks up at me. “Steel calls Tempe wildfire. It’s adorable.”
Tempe laughs. “I’m going to tell Jameson you called him adorable. I’m sure he’ll love it.”
Aimee grins. “On the outside, they’re big bad bikers, but inside, they are softies for their women.”
“Just don’t tell them that.” Reagan rolls her eyes. “Jesse thinks he’s tough, but I’ve seen him paint Bea’s nails in glitter and bedazzle a headband. He’s secretly the sweetest.”
“And you love it,” Luna points out.
Reagan smiles. “I do.”
“I am having a hard time imagining Chaos with a sweet side though.” Luna taps her finger on her chin. “Is that even possible?”
“It’s rare Dean’s sweet side makes an appearance, but it’s there.” I shrug, laughing.
There’s a knock at the door, and I frown at the head of blonde hair in the doorway. Eden shifts on her feet, twisting her fingers in front of her.
“Everything okay?” Aimee asks, her eyebrows pinching.
“My sister is here. I’ve got to go.”
Dean wasn’t thrilled when I told him she was coming to see me today, but he finally conceded and told Soul and Venom to let her through when she arrives.
The girls on the phone glance at each other, knowing how I feel about Eden, but thankfully, they don’t say anything my sister might hear.
“I’ll talk to you all later, okay? And I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay.” Tempe smiles. “Call us if you need us.”
They wave, hanging up, and I set my phone aside.
Eden hasn’t taken her eyes off me and hasn’t moved from the doorway. Her frown darkens the circles under her eyes. “So you’re going back to Vegas?”
“As soon as I get out of the hospital.”
She crosses her arms over her chest, getting defensive when I’m already exhausted just looking at her. “And what about the ranch Dean is supposedly fighting so hard for? You’re just going to walk away?”
“Dean’s fighting to protect his grandfather’s wishes. He’s fighting to keep the land for how it’s meant to be used. He doesn’t need to be running it to make sure that happens. Unlike Kincaid, who wants to tear it apart.”
“You don’t understand. That wasn’t supposed to happen.” Eden shakes her head, annoyed. “Things were fine before you made this giant mess. It’s your fault Kincaid and Tate got it in their heads to sell the place. Dad had a plan, but you made it so they couldn’t trust us.”
“I was nothing but faithful to Kincaid.”
“You acted like you didn’t give a shit about him.”
“I didn’t,” I admit. “And he didn’t either. Why do you care, Eden? You weren’t the one forced to be in a relationship with him. You have no idea what I gave up trying to make it work for our family’s sake. I’ve sacrificed everything.”
“You’re not the only one.”
“Oh really? How has all this affected you?”
Her eyes narrow as she starts tapping her foot.
Irritation etches her face. She shifts on her feet again, but now I realize it’s not discomfort. She’s angry. Beyond that, she’s defeated. There’s something I missed, something she hasn’t said.
“Eden, what aren’t you telling me?”