Chapter 49 Grae
GRAE
The faint beeping sound grated against my ears. “Turn it off,” I grumbled.
I tried to turn over, but pain ricocheted through me in angry pulses.
“Take it easy, Gigi,” a rough voice warned as warm, gentle hands gripped my shoulders, shifting me back to the mattress.
I blinked rapidly at the sound, wanting more of it. Light filled my vision, almost hurting my eyes.
“There she is.”
Caden’s face came into focus in snapshots. Brief glimmers of the man I loved with everything I had. But he looked rough. Thick stubble covered his jaw. Dark circles rimmed his eyes. His hair was a mess as if he’d run his fingers through it a hundred times.
“What’s wrong?” I croaked.
His hand came to my face, thumb stroking back and forth across my cheekbone. “You gave us a scare. Your pump ran out of insulin, and you went into ketoacidosis. You were in a coma for over twenty-four hours.”
Everything came back to me in short bursts. Opening the door. The Taser. The cabin. The fire. My body jerked, making a fresh wave of pain cascade through me. “Eddie.”
Caden kept one hand on my cheek and the other curved around mine, squeezing. “He’s gone. You’re safe.”
“Gone?”
Caden nodded.
Tears filled my eyes, spilling over. Not for the person who’d terrorized me but for the friend I’d lost. “His mind got so twisted.”
Caden leaned over me, pressing his forehead to mine. “I know.”
“Why?” I rasped.
“Not sure we’ll ever completely understand.” Caden straightened, searching my face. “Police found some journals. After Megan died, it was like he fixated on you. Needed you to keep going. But that need turned dark, obsessive.”
My chest grew tight, and I gripped Caden’s hand tighter. “I didn’t see it.”
“I know. No one did.” Pain flashed in Caden’s face. “I’m so sorry I left you alone.”
My hand jerked in his. “This isn’t your fault.”
“Wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t left.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” I snapped.
His brows lifted.
“If it hadn’t happened right then, Eddie would’ve found another time. It was impossible for you to be with me twenty-four-seven.”
“Might be proving you wrong these next few months,” he muttered.
I lifted a hand to Caden’s face, his stubble pricking my palm. “Please, don’t take this on.”
“I was terrified,” he whispered.
A burn lit along my sternum. “I’m so sorry.”
Caden’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Losing Clara broke something in me. I was so terrified to lose someone else, I didn’t let anyone close. Didn’t truly let them in.”
My heart broke for the boy who’d lost his sister, his partner in crime, his best friend. My heart broke for the man who still carried those scars.
“But when you were fading away in front of me, all I could think about was the time I’d wasted trying to keep you away.”
My hand slid down Caden’s neck and pulled him close. “But we aren’t wasting time anymore.”
His eyes searched mine. “Never again. Don’t want to waste a single second.”
“Think we could get the hospital chaplain to marry us right here?”
Caden grinned. “Pretty sure your mom and mine would murder us both.”
A laugh burst out of me, and it felt so damn good. “You might have a point there.”
“Never gonna get tired of that sound, you laughing. Missed it so damn much.”
My nose stung. “Caden…”
He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled something free. “I need to give you something back.”
My brows pulled together. “What?”
Caden dropped a tiny silver charm connected to a delicate chain onto the blanket.
I gasped as I scooped it up. “My necklace?” I stared down at the tiny compass I’d loved so much, hardly believing it was real.
His throat worked as he swallowed. “The nurse gave it to me when we brought you into the hospital all those years ago. I held it the entire time they worked on you. Every moment you were in the coma. It was like my talisman. I thought if I just held onto it, you’d be okay.”
My eyes burned, and pressure built behind them. “Caden.”
“Even when I walked away, I had this with me in my pocket every single day. It made me feel close to you.”
A few tears slipped free, and Caden brushed them away.
“Sometimes, it feels like the necklace brought me back to you. You’ve always been my guiding force. My internal compass showing me the way. And now, I have to give yours back to you.”
He bent and fastened the necklace around my throat. I looked up into his eyes. “I couldn’t love you more.”
Caden dipped his head, his lips brushing mine. “I can’t wait to marry you.” His mouth teased, and he slid the ring the doctors must have taken off back on. “Make babies with you.” His tongue stroked. “Build a beautiful life.”
“Sick. No kissing my sister in front of me,” Nash groused as he strode into my hospital room.
Caden pulled back, glaring at Nash. “You’re the one who didn’t knock.”
“It’s a damned hospital. I shouldn’t have to worry about walking in on you getting it on with my baby sister.”
Roan’s lips twitched as he stepped into the room. “If that rock on her hand is anything to go by, I think we’ll have to get used to it.” He crossed to me, wrapping me in a gentle hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks, big brother,” I whispered.
“Rock?” my mom squeaked from the doorway, her gaze flying from me to Caden and back again.
Nash grabbed my hand, holding it up to the light. “I’ll be damned. She did say yes.” He grinned at Caden. “Good job, man.” Then he scowled. “You still aren’t allowed to kiss her in front of me.”