Chapter Eleven #2
A low growl escapes him, but I forge on. “You got a woman pregnant, and it wasn’t planned and you felt obligated to marry her and try to create a family for Bailey’s sake. And I admire and respect that about you, I really do. But I want you to know, I’ve heard you loud and clear.”
I look up in time to see him narrow his gaze. “You heard what?”
“I heard you when you told me you didn’t want anything serious, and more importantly, I heard you tell Ben you’ve done the family thing once and you weren’t going to do it again.
” I run my tongue over my lips. “I wasn’t eavesdropping.
I was waiting for the bathroom at Dan’s,” I say quietly.
“And I respect you too much to ever put you in that position again.”
“Are you finished?” he asks, his tone low and brittle.
“No,” I say, my head buzzing, dizziness and emotional pain assaulting me. “There’s one more thing. I won’t stop you from having whatever relationship you want with our child.” I meet his gaze. “Now I’m finished.”
“Good. Because you have everything wrong.”
I blink up at him. The fluorescent lights from above my head are harsh, and I glance down. “I don’t know what you mean.”
I can’t imagine how I’ve been mistaken in any of this.
He jiggles the bed rail until he lowers it and sits on the bed beside me. He picks up my hand, and my heart rate spikes at the feel of his more calloused fingers entwined with mine.
“Let’s start with Kayla. She tricked me into marriage, and yes, I married her because she was pregnant, but here’s the difference between you and my ex-wife.” His grip tightens around mine. “I love you.”
I blink, and tears fall from my eyes. It is everything I want to hear, and I understand that, if we are going to have any kind of future, I need to start trusting in things I never quite let myself believe in. I need to trust in him.
I am overwhelmed by his words and the events of the day as I speak. “Austin, I—”
“Shh.” He leans over and kisses my cheek.
“You’ve had a rough day, a shock to your body, and now this.
I know you want to believe me, and you’re afraid.
You might even think I’m saying I love you because you’re pregnant, but when you think about things, think about this.
I married Kayla, yes, but I never told her I loved her. ”
My eyes open wide as the meaning and import of his words sink in.
“Ms. Atwood?” A nurse pushes the curtain aside. “The police want to talk to you. We have to report all gunshots, you understand.”
I want to decline the visit, to focus on Austin and all the new feelings floating around inside me. Of course, the floating could be the painkillers, but the high caused by his words? Not so much.
“You can send them in,” I say, shooting Austin a regret-filled glance.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere,” he promises, his hand still in hers.
And though I haven’t processed what his proclamation really means for us, the baby, or my future, I squeeze his fingers tighter as I prepare to deal with the police. At least now, my heart is light and my entire body filled with hope.
* * *
Austin
I sit by Mia’s side, refusing to leave when she speaks to the police.
I grip her tighter when she repeats the details of the shooting.
The entire incident has been running on replay in my head ever since.
They take my statement as well, and I know I still have to talk to the district attorney, but finally the officer leaves, walking through the curtain, and we are alone until the doctor signs off on Mia’s release.
“Hey,” I say, treating her to a concerned half smile. “Are you okay?”
Her skin is pale, eyes half-mast.
“I’m hanging in there. How about you?”
“The same.” I run my thumb over the smooth skin of her hand. “I want you to know something else. I realize you don’t come from a family where love is abundant, and because of that, your ability to trust is somewhat compromised.”
She studies me, obviously invested in what I am saying.
“I also realize I didn’t help my case by telling you, and repeating, that I didn’t want marriage or a future with you.”
She blinks, and a tear leaks down her cheek. I catch it with my hand.
“I’d kick my own ass if I could—for being so blind and for hurting you.
But since I can’t, I’m just going to have to do my best to convince you that I was wrong.
I was afraid to believe in you. In us. And I hope you won’t follow my example of running away from what could be, what is the best thing to ever happen to us. ”
I grasp her other hand, too, and hold both up to my chest. “I love you, Mia. And I want to spend every day I have left showing you how much. The baby is icing on an already spectacular cake.”
She laughs. “So now I’m a cake.”
“You’re sweet enough.”
She rolls her eyes at my silly joke before sobering. “You’re right, you know. Everything you said about my past, my fears, you nailed it all. And a part of me really wants to run away because it’s easier than believing everything I ever wanted is within my grasp.”
“And what is it you want?” I hold my breath as she speaks, hoping with everything in me we desire the same things and she is brave enough to go after them.
“You. Bailey. A family.” She visibly swallows hard.
“When we first got together, I knew it was dangerous for me because you represented all the things that could make my life complete. The things I didn’t have growing up.
Parents who loved each other and their children. But you didn’t want that. Only I did.”
I remain silent even though I want to pull her into my arms, giving her the same chance to speak that she gave me. But I am sorry I put her through the pain of wanting, longing, when I should have had my eyes opened sooner.
“But now you’re saying you’ve changed your mind. And I can believe you… or not.”
“I’m hoping you will,” I say, unable to remain quiet any longer.
“I do,” she whispers. “Because I love you, too.”
Her affirmation is all I need. Careful to protect her shoulder, I lean into her, pressing my lips to hers. With a soft moan of acceptance, she slides her tongue over mine and I slip mine inside her waiting mouth.
The kiss can’t go further despite the hard bulge growing behind my jeans, even if I do have the urge to crawl into the bed with her, align my body with hers, and lose myself in her warmth and heat.
“Knock, knock!” A nurse pushes the curtain aside and lets herself into the small cubicle. “Sorry to interrupt you lovebirds but I have your discharge papers.”
I grin, aware of Mia blushing beside me. “My fiancée would be happy to sign your papers.”
“Wait, what? We didn’t… You didn’t ask—” Mia stutters over her words.
“Didn’t I say that I love you and I want to spend every day I have left showing you how much?” I ask, aware we have an amused and rapt audience in the nurse.
Mia blinks. “You did. But—”
“What did you think I meant?”
She grins at me. “You silly man. I would think you’d ask me if you meant you wanted to marry me!”
“Will you marry me?” I ask, my gaze never leaving hers.
“Yes.”
“Good. Ring and proper proposal to follow. I just didn’t want to leave here without being one hundred percent clear on where we stood.” I rise to my feet, never letting go of her hand.
The nurse sighs. “Sometimes we have a good day. And today was definitely one of those. How romantic,” she murmurs.
I am pretty damned pleased myself.
“Now can we go over your discharge instructions?” the nurse asks, back to business.
* * *
Austin
The next few days pass in a blur, the focus not on our personal lives but on Mia’s testimony, something I am determined to see her through.
The district attorney comes to the house the day after the shooting and goes over court prep with Mia.
She also assures us we now have police officers watching the house and sticking by Mia’s side through the trial and until Parker Alexander is back in jail, where he belongs.
I speak to the DA, and we all agree Parker’s agenda was to prevent Mia, the key witness against him, from testifying.
Once that is over, he’ll turn his focus elsewhere.
Revenge isn’t his MO. Self-preservation is.
When Mia’s testimony is finished and the verdict is in, she will be safe.
And she’ll have me by her side to make her security a certainty.
She is set to testify only two days after the shooting, and she insists on showing up on time. She wants the trial over with, and I don’t blame her. As long as she feels physically capable, I will support her all the way.