Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
TYLER
Somehow, I’m not dead. My eyelids feel like they’re weighted with concrete, but I manage to crack them open, my vision hazy.
The ceiling is unfamiliar, black with gold trim.
The room is dim and there are no windows, just emerald walls.
I’m in a bed. Not a hospital style bed, but king size and with luxurious sheets.
Tubes stick out of my arms, hooking me to a machine. A bandage is wrapped around my torso.
Where am I and what the fuck happened to me?
A blurred memory finds me—pushing Felix out of the firing line of a bullet and taking the hit myself. The agony.
I feel no pain now. Whatever drugs I’m on must be good. There’s a floaty warmth humming through my limbs. I blink several times, trying to clear my vision and make sense of my surroundings.
Scanning the room, I’m even more confused at the sight to my left. Felix is asleep on a couch.
Perhaps I am dead. Or dreaming. There’s no way Felix is here with me.
Though asleep, he looks far from peaceful, with his brows pinched. He’s twisted in an unnatural angle, too big to fit on the couch.
The longer I stare at him, the more confused I become. Has he taken me back to The Scarlet Mirage? Why is he sleeping at my side, on a couch too small for him, instead of his own bed that can’t be far? He can’t be concerned about me, not when he’s spent years pushing me away.
If Felix really is here and I’m not dreaming, his presence has to be for Harper’s sake. He’s watching over me for her.
Panic consumes me at the thought of Harper. Where is she? Is she safe?
I try to speak but my throat is dry and scratches like sandpaper. The sensation has me coughing, spreading a dull ache through my abdomen that makes me wince.
Felix stirs, his eyelids fluttering open. For a moment, he looks disoriented, until his gaze locks with mine and he’s suddenly wide awake, sitting upright within a second.
He shakes with laughter, the sound somewhere between relief and disbelief. “Man, am I glad to see you awake. About fucking time. How are you feeling?”
I don’t know if it’s because of the drugs in my system, but with each second that passes, I’m more confused by Felix’s behavior. None of this encounter makes sense.
“I’m fine. Is Harper safe?” My voice is raspy, barely there.
“Of course. She’s been at your side constantly, only stepping away for food.”
Thank god. “How long was I out?”
“Two days. The longest two days of my life. You really scared me, bro. I can’t believe you jumped in front of that bullet.”
“There wasn’t even one moment of hesitation in me. I’d do it one hundred times.”
As soon as I speak the words, the door opens and Harper walks in, holding two glasses of water.
Her eyes are puffy, like she hasn’t slept in days.
The sight of her makes me smile. A sleepy, barely there smile.
I’m looking at an angel. She’s so beautiful and precious and… safe. That’s all I care about.
The moment her eyes land on me, the glasses slip from her fingers and shatter on the ground. Her chin trembles and a sob escapes her. “Tyler… You’re awake.”
Before I can react, she’s at my side, clutching my hands and stroking my cheek. Her touch is warm and I can’t help but lean into it. My vision swims for a second, the edges blurring. I can’t tell if it’s emotion or the drugs.
“I thought I’d lost you for good. When I saw you on the ground… All that blood…”
“I’m not going anywhere, Harper,” I croak.
“I know. It’s you and me—” She stops herself from finishing our phrase. Her gaze flicks to Felix and she smiles. When she looks back at me, there’s so much love and happiness in her eyes. “It’s the three of us, always.”
My gaze narrows with confusion. I must be extremely high on painkillers. Nothing has made sense since waking, especially the way Felix and Harper are acting. This has to be all in my mind. A coping mechanism.
Harper kicks off her shoes and curls up to me on the bed, careful not to jostle my bandaged abdomen or the tubes attached to me. “Is this okay?” she whispers, her breath warm against the bare skin of my chest.
“More than okay,” I murmur.
What the fuck is going on?
She snuggles closer, her body soft and comfortingly familiar. I breathe her in, the sweet scent like coming home.
My muscles tense when Felix joins us on my right, reclining on the mattress with both hands behind his head as he gazes at the ceiling.
Without a doubt, I’m dreaming.
As the three of us lie in silence, it feels like I’m transported back in time to when we were teenagers and life hadn’t torn us apart. I want to ask what’s happening between us right now, but not at the risk of hearing painful answers.
Instead, I allow myself to enjoy whatever this is while it lasts. I came inches from death, but it was worth it for this right here.
My eyelids are heavy. Sleep is calling me but I don’t want to waste this moment. I need to memorize how it feels to have Harper’s affection once more and for my brother to be at peace beside me.
Maybe this is real. Please, be real.
“How are you feeling?” Harper whispers, kissing my cheek. I’m too tired to answer.
Before sleep pulls me under, I make a vow to myself, that if this is real, not some hallucination, I won’t ever let anything ruin the three of us again.
“Bro, you are the worst patient.” There’s lightheartedness to Felix’s mockery as he sits at my bedside. “Stop moving so I can dress your wound.”
“I can dress the wound myself. You don’t need to nurse me back to health.”
“Actually, that’s exactly what I need to do. You can’t move around much. Your diet needs to be restricted. I’m selling The Scarlet Mirage to become your full-time caretaker. You’ll address me as Nurse Felix.”
I laugh, instantly wincing as my muscles tense. “Fuck you for making me laugh.”
Jesus, this interaction between us is weird. The fog has lifted from my mind and I have clarity today. I’m not dreaming. Felix is treating me like a brother and friend again, joking around. He’s taking care of me. It has to be pity. Or he feels indebted to me for saving his life.
When I woke this morning, Felix and Harper were still in bed with me, the three of us having slept through the night together.
Harper pecked my lips before calling the doctor in to examine me.
Her kiss was innocent yet made me feel like I was high all over again.
I don’t know the meaning behind the kiss.
We’ll always love each other in some way.
But she’s with my brother. The kiss can’t have been romantic.
Harper is sleeping beside me again now as Felix tends to my wound. The stress of these last few days has exhausted her.
“Is this… okay?” I ask Felix, nodding to Harper curled at my side.
Her fingers are woven with mine. I’m treading on eggshells around Felix.
His acceptance of me feels too good to be true.
“I meant what I said, that I don’t want to cause issues between you and Harper.
I’m sure her affection is only due to us being lifelong friends. She’s yours.”
Felix scoffs, placing gauze over my wound. Next, he’s cutting tape. “You know just as well as I that Harper has always been ours. She’s in love with you and we both know it. I’m more than okay with Harper holding your hand while she sleeps.”
He’s laughing again. I want to laugh too and feel relieved by him saying Harper is ours, but I’m wary, still not understanding his actions. “Why are you okay with this? You’ve despised me for years.”
“Let’s not do this right now. You need to heal.”
“I’m fine. I want to talk about it.”
Felix groans and shakes his head, not meeting my eyes, his mood suddenly serious. There’s even guilt written across his face.
Finally, he sighs and gives in, placing the tape and scissors down. His gaze remains on the items, like he’s too disappointed in himself to look at me.
“I can’t express how much it means to me that you risked your life to save me. Thank you. I’ll forever be grateful. But… I’m so ashamed of myself, Tyler.”
“Why?”
“I’ve spent years being angry at you. I let you and Harper in so close, and you both annihilated me.
As time went on, even as the pain started to ease, I held on to anger because it seemed like the only way to protect myself.
I’ve been an asshole to you. I’m sorry. I haven’t wanted to admit this, but I’ve missed you more than I can put into words.
Theo… Dan, Killian… They’re great. But they’re not you. ”
My chest is burning and my throat is tight, hearing Felix be so honest and vulnerable, describing how much our bond means to him.
“When you got shot, it was the worst moment of my life. Worse than when Harper’s mom died.
Worse than that day from hell when I returned from Westbridge only to learn I didn’t have you and Harper anymore.
You have no idea how… frightened I was, and I do not get frightened.
I was experiencing déjà vu. I wasted too long being angry with Harper’s mother. I wasted years angry with you too.”
Felix’s voice trembles. He breathes deeply to compose himself, his eyes remaining down.
“Before Clara died, she told me I push people away to protect myself from being hurt. I never fucking learn, Tyler. I should have learned from her death that our time with people is so limited and to stop wasting it. When I saw you in a pool of your own blood, all I could think about was you dying, how much I still need you, yet how I wasted all my time being angry with you.”
Felix clears his throat and finally meets my eyes.
He nods, speaking with sincerity. “This time, I’ve learned.
All the shit from our past, it doesn’t matter.
The only thing that matters is you’re alive and well and that I have my brother with me because I can’t live this life without you. Harper and I can’t live without you.”
I swallow hard, wanting to tell Felix how relieved I am to hear him speaking like this and how much he means to me.
“Felix… I… You don’t know how much I… What I’m trying to say is—” I’m choked up. The right words won’t find me.
He grins. “The house always wins.”
I smile too. We have an understanding. “Except when we play.”
That simple yet meaningful phrase says everything I’m struggling to express.
“What’s the latest update on Quentin Ferguson?” I ask as Felix tapes the gauze to my abdomen.
“I’m ninety-nine percent certain he’s dead. His car exploded right after you were shot.”
I stare blankly at the far wall, my brows rising with shock.
For eight goddamn years, I’ve been plagued with the secret of Paul Ferguson’s murder.
I’ve been out of my mind with panic since learning his brother held Harper at gunpoint and was on a mission to kill not only her but my family.
Now Felix is telling me this nightmare could all be over.
“As for that one percent? What if he wasn’t the one driving?” I ask.
“Theo and my men are digging deeper to be certain of his death. But Harper is safe. We’re all safe. Your job is to relax and recover.”
“It might take me some time to learn how to stop worrying about the Fergusons. They’ve been a massive source of stress for so long.”
“I’m taking care of everything.”
Whatever he means by that, I trust him.
With my free hand, I stroke Harper’s cheek, watching her as she sleeps peacefully in my arms. “Beautiful angel.”
Felix laughs. “This beautiful angel stabbed Ferguson’s hand when he pulled a gun on us. Did she tell you that? She enjoyed making him bleed. She’s vicious when provoked over you and me.”
My hand pauses on Harper’s cheek, surprised for a moment. Then I laugh. “For someone who looks so innocent and delicate, she really has the world fooled.”
Felix rises from his chair, having finished dressing my wound. “I should let you rest.”
“Wait. There’s one last thing I need to say before this moment is gone.”
“Whatever it is, bro, it’s fine.”
“I need you to hear this. Ever since the night we discovered Paul’s death, I feel like my life was stolen from me.
I was forced down so many paths, none of which I wanted to take.
I never wanted to lie to Harper about you.
The last thing I wanted was to take her from you.
She was so young and scared, filled with shame for being pregnant.
I thought marriage was the best way to take care of her. I’m sorry, man. I screwed up.”
Felix pats my shoulder. “You don’t need to apologize.
You’ve done it enough over the years. I know you’re sorry.
Even though I didn’t agree with your logic, you were trying to protect everyone.
I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to forgive you.
I’m sorry I was an asshole about everything.
I fucked up by killing Paul. But we finally have the life back that should have always been ours. ”
I nod. “So, what happens next?”
“You let me and Harper take care of you while you’re injured. You stay here with us, where you belong.”