Chapter Thirty #3
The sight of Cooper laughing wasn’t one he had expected to see again. Seth took a sip of water and cleared his throat. Settling on simplicity, he said, “I’d like your blessing.”
“I’m sure you would.” Cooper’s eyes were firm on his. “You’ll have plenty of time to earn it in the next ten years. You being shot doesn’t excuse what you did before that.” Cooper took the glass back from him and placed it on the bedside table. With a smirk, he said, “But it’s a solid first step.”
Seth opened his eyes again to the same ceiling and the same flickering lantern light, accompanied by the melodic lulling of an angel’s voice.
On the sofa next to the bed sat Cassandra, illuminated by candlelight.
Cross-legged, dressed in a flannel nightgown, her warm brown eyes skimmed over a book in her lap, and as he watched her mouth move, he thanked God she was alive.
How lucky he was to get another chance to spend his life with her.
At the tip of his tongue was how much he loved this woman, how beautiful she looked when she was reading, how he wanted to grow old with her.
“Cass—” He coughed. Jagged and coarse, her name stuck in his throat.
Cassandra startled out of her seat, her book tumbling to the floor. In half a second, she reached for the glass on the bedside table. The glass shook in her hands as she propped his head up and held it to his lips. Water flowed down his neck.
Thirst quenched and chest wet, he smiled. “Don't make me wear it, sweetheart.”
She sat on the bed next to him and began trembling, holding back sobs.
He reached for her, wincing at the tug on his side.
“No, love, no. Come here, lie with me,” he whispered. “Let me hold you.”
She shook her head. “You’re hurt. I’ll pull your sutures.”
“I’ve seen your needlework, you can fix me.” Seeing the heavy set bags under her eyes, he patted the space next to him. “There is room in this bed for two.”
With her pinched expression, he was sure there was another Cooper family lecture at the tip of her tongue. Instead, she laughed, and he wanted to hold her even more.
“Matthew is expected home within the hour. It took so much work to keep you alive.” Her smile wavered. “It would be a pity to have him kill you now.”
Seth reached for her fingers. “You’re too far away.”
She smiled. “I’m in the bed.”
“Not properly.”
With a resigned sigh and a quirk to her lips, she laid on her side next to him. In a whisper of a touch, she laced her fingers through his. He closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of her thumb rubbing against his, soothing and soft. But it wasn’t enough.
“Come closer, I wasn’t shot on that side.”
“It’s not funny.” She nestled in on his left side, resting her head over his heart. “Is this all right?”
He leaned the side of his head against the top of hers. She was warm and alive, and he held her to him as close as he could with one arm. “I did something heroic.” He used the hand around her shoulder to tilt her head up to his. “Can’t you please just kiss me Cass—”
Closing the distance between her mouth and his, Cassandra silenced the rest of his sentence.
She held his cheek in one hand and pressed her lips to his, and his next breath was one of relief.
He buried his hand in her hair and deepened their kiss.
Desperate to pull her close, he moved his other arm and felt a tearing of skin.
He separated from her, exhaling through his teeth at the stabbing pain.
Once his breathing evened, she repositioned herself against his side. They lay there for some time in a gentle embrace. Cassandra rubbed circles on his chest with her fingertips, and she whispered, “Are you awake?”
“Mmhm.” But he wouldn’t be for long, fatigued by the effort it took just to kiss her.
She lifted her head and pressed her hand over his heart. “I love you, Seth Reeves.”
His eyes snapped open and met hers. Love flowed from her eyes into his, and he could have buried his head in her shoulder and wept.
“You give me balance, Seth. You planted yourself in my life and I grew around you, flourished with your strength.” She held his cheek in her hand and kissed the line of his jaw.
“When you said that you’re not the man I hoped for, you were wrong.
You’re everything I could have ever hoped for.
You’re resilient, brave, and selfless.” She kissed his lips.
“I have seen your heart, your capacity for love and the depth of your loyalty. You will never have to question my love for you. I will always be yours. I love you, and I cannot go another day without you knowing it.”
Incapable of words, he brought his mouth to hers.
In between deep, searching kisses, he whispered words of love against her lips, coaxing her responses with slow strokes of his tongue.
Breaking for breath, he ran his nose along hers and fought his fading strength.
Resenting his limitations, he laid back against the pillow with a defeated groan.
When she moved to leave, he used her words.
“Don’t go yet,” he said. “Hold me a little while longer.”
He heard the smile in her voice and felt it in her kiss as his eyes drifted closed. “Whatever you wish, my love.”