Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
E den
Matthias unties my hands and feet, and I finally spit that goddamned gag out of my mouth. I want to smack the hell out of Sam, but I’ve got other concerns right now.
Immediately after hearing the gun go off, I scream, “Marius! Are you okay?”
I begin to cry before running around the bed to see the man I love on the floor with blood pouring out of his left arm. Oh, God! That crazy woman shot him!
Dropping to my knees, I cradle his face in my hands. “Oh, baby. You’re going to be okay. I promise.”
Behind me, Matthias holds Sam who can’t stop sobbing. “I’m calling 911. Marius, don’t worry. The paramedics will be here in no time.”
He takes her out of the bedroom, leaving just Marius and me. The gunshot wound doesn’t look too bad, but I can’t tell with all the blood.
“Duck, she didn’t hurt you, did she?” Marius asks in that sweet way of his.
I shake my head and smile even as I fight back tears. “I’m fine. All she did was hit me on the back of the head with the gun. It’s you I’m worried about. She shot you. I wasn’t even sure she had bullets in that gun, but she shot you. Are you in pain?”
Marius looks down at his arm and winces. “I think I’m in shock. I don’t feel much of anything right now. I’m just happy you’re safe.”
Looking into his dark eyes, I smile at how much I love this man. “You saved my life, honey. You’re a hero.”
He frowns and shakes his head. “I’m not a hero, Duck. Sam would have never been here holding you hostage with a gun if I hadn’t invited her to Ava’s party. I was trying to make you jealous, and look what it did. You nearly got killed because of me.”
I lean in and kiss him softly on the lips. “You’re my hero, Marius. I’m so sorry I ever went to see that divorce attorney. I never wanted us to break up. I was so stupid.”
Even sitting here after being shot, he’s willing to blame himself for all that’s happened. “You had every right to. I was the stupid one. I wasn’t ashamed of you, though. I hope you know that. I’m prouder than any man alive to have you as my wife.”
“Well, no more talk of divorce or leaving. We’re together now, and I forgive you. Do you forgive me?” I ask, worried that if I don’t say these things and the paramedics don’t get here soon that I won’t have time to tell him all I have in my heart.
He smiles in that way that reminds me of a pirate and shakes his head. “There’s nothing to forgive. I was never angry with you for serving me with those papers. I had it coming. I was acting like a selfish jackass for way too long, and you had every right to put your foot down.”
I throw my arms around him, not caring if I get covered in blood too.
“I’m so sorry. I never should have let Sam come over the other day, but she was so sad about you saying you were going to fire her.
I guess I thought I was helping, you know, like a big sister, and look what happened.
The crazy pick-me bitch pulled a gun on me. ”
When I sit back, he looks at me strangely. “Duck, I never told Sam I was firing her.”
Suddenly, it all dawns on me. She was planning this the whole time. That first visit to see me was to get on my good side so I’d let her up when she really intended to do me harm. And to think all this time I thought she just needed a friend to talk to. So much for my being a big sister to her.
This is why women don’t try to make friends as adults. Everyone’s goddamned out of their minds.
“She told me you did. That’s why I let her into our home today. I told her I’d talk to you and tell you not to fire her.”
Marius sighs. “That’s my fault too. I honestly never meant to lead her on, but I can’t say I never flirted with her. You know me. I’m all about the good time.”
He stops and takes my hand in his right hand. “But I swear I never slept with her. I promise you that, Eden.”
“I believe you, baby. And for the record, I love when you call me by your nickname for me. Don’t stop, okay?”
“Okay, Duck. I love you. I hope you know that. I’d be lost without you.”
I kiss him again and whisper against his lips, “Then you should know I plan to stick around as Mrs. King for a long time.”
Relief washes over me when I hear the sound of the paramedics’ footsteps coming down the hallway. “By the way, Ava’s going to be furious at you for missing her party,” I say to him as help arrives.
“And just as I was getting her back on my side.”
The paramedics need me out of the way, so I kiss him one more time and say, “I love you, Marius.”
When I step back to let them work on him, his first words are, “Please check my wife. Sam hit her on the head with a gun, and I worry she may be hurt.”
The female paramedic looks back at me and smiles. “I’ll check you out at soon as we’re done with your husband, ma’am. Are you feeling dizzy? If so, please be sure to sit down.”
I wave off her concern for me. “I’m fine. Please, there’s no need to worry. My husband is the one who needs your attention.”
Matthias stands off to the side still holding Sam who hasn’t stopped crying after shooting my husband. I want to walk over and slap her across the face like Ava did with Marius, but I know my focus needs to be on him and not his crazy assistant.
“The cops are on their way, Eden,” Matthias says in his cool, steady way. “How are you doing over there, Marius?”
Always the joker, he looks over the bed, and as the paramedics work on him, he answers, “A bullet went through my arm, Matthias. So, on the whole, not great.”
Leave it to my husband to make light of being shot.
I park the car behind Ava’s and turn to look at Marius in the passenger seat. “Are you sure you’re up to this? You just got shot four days ago.”
He lifts his left arm and pretends to try to flex his bicep. “I’m great! Just a flesh wound. Isn’t that what they always say in war movies? No worries. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re sure? I can tell Ava you’re not up to this, and we can go right back home. You just give the word.”
Marius waves away that suggestion. “No way. I need to celebrate something good after all that’s happened. Tonight we eat, drink, and be merry.”
Thankfully, he doesn’t say the rest of that because if he mentioned anything about dying, I might burst into tears. I’m not usually a woman who’s prone to crying, but this whole thing has made me far more emotional than usual.
And the last thing either of us needs right now is me sobbing like a baby over the thought of him dying.
“Then I guess we better get inside. Your family is waiting.”
Marius covers my hand resting on the console with his. “Our family, Duck. You’re married to a King, so that makes them your family too.”
All week, Ava hasn’t stopped talking about how thrilled she is that we’re sisters-in-law. She’s got a million ideas of things we should do together, and to be honest, I love every single one as much as I love being married to this King.
“Okay, Then we better get inside. Our family is waiting.”
He leans in and kisses me sweetly. “Better. Don’t worry. Being a King has its perks.”
I can’t help but smile at how cute he can be. “Do you mean to say marrying into a family of billionaires comes with bonuses?”
Marius winks at me before nuzzling my neck. “Quite a few, actually. I’ll be sure to show you a few tonight.”
Entirely too cute. No wonder I can’t deny him anything.
“All right Mr. Big Perks, let’s get going before Ava comes out and drags us inside.”
We don’t even make it to the door before all three of his brothers come out of the house to greet us.
Matthias makes a beeline to where we are and gives me a big hug while Kellen and Ronan joke around with Marius about having the dubious distinction of being the first King shot since some great-great- uncle who got gunned down in some saloon in Wyoming back in the nineteenth century.
Ava stands in the doorway, which seems strange, so after I thank her husband once more for being there that night when all the madness with Sam happened, I hurry up the sidewalk to see her. We haven’t talked much about that night, so I’m sure she wants to know every little detail.
“I know, you want all the dirt, and trust me, I’ve got it. One thing, though. My mother was right. Making friends as an adult is a nightmare!” I say with a laugh.
But Ava doesn’t say a word. Instead, she throws her arms around my neck and hugs me tighter than I’ve ever been hugged before. When I start to ask her what’s up, she begins to cry.
“I could have lost you, Eden. That crazy girl could have killed you. I don’t know what I would have done if she did that. I’ve been beside myself all week. Ask Matthias. If I’m not crying, I’m yelling about the dumbest stuff.”
When she takes a breath, I gently ease out of the hug to see tears rolling down my best friend’s face. “Aww, you didn’t think you were going to get rid of me that easily, did you? It was horrible, but I’m fine. Promise.”
Ava wipes her tears away and smiles. “You better be. We can finally enjoy being sisters-in-law, so you better not go anywhere. We’ve got a future of kids and grandkids and vacations and holidays and all that great stuff families do together when they don’t hate one another.”
“It’s you and me, kid. Together forever. The world better watch out.”
This time, I hug her and let my serious side come out. “It was horrible, but I never doubted Marius would save me.”
“Me neither.”
Behind me, he says, “So many people who believe in me here. I’m going to start to think I can leap tall buildings in a single bound.”
We look at him and shake our heads. “Well, Superman, today is all about you two, so get in there so we can get this party started,” Ava says.
As Marius passes me, he leans in and whispers, “Does this mean you’re Lois Lane? Because if you are, I’m feeling some role play coming on later.”
Typical Marius.