Chapter 16 Lex
LEX
TWO DAYS LATER
“Are you sure you don’t want another dose of pain meds?” I asked as I took stock of West’s face. There were lines of strain there. Not nearly as bad as yesterday but still present.
He squeezed my hand. “I’m fine. I hate feeling loopy.”
“You just had massive shoulder surgery,” I argued.
Just saying the words aloud had guilt pricking me. West had taken a bullet meant for me. And that bullet had all but shattered his shoulder. The surgeon who’d put him back together had informed us that he’d have a long road to regaining full use of it.
“Don’t like that look,” West said, his voice low.
“I hate that this happened because of me.”
West tugged me closer to the hospital bed until I was forced to sit on the mattress. “Would take a million bullets if it meant you were safe.”
My frown only deepened. “Not what I wanted to hear.”
West cupped my face with his good hand, pulling me down and brushing his lips across mine. “You are the most important thing in the world to me. This will always be worth it.”
A throat cleared, and I sat up. Holt hovered in the doorway. “How are you feeling?”
“Would be a hell of a lot better if you hadn’t just interrupted me kissing my girl.”
Holt grinned, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Guilt still lived there. He blamed himself for not getting to us quicker.
But he’d taken Max down after Max had gotten off the shot.
And now the deputy was sitting on the other side of county lockup.
Police had found an entire room in his home dedicated to his fixation on me. Photos, videos, tiny items he’d stolen.
Holt crossed farther into the room. “I made some calls. We’re hooking you up with the best physical therapist Portland has to offer. He specializes in shoulder recovery.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” West said.
“You’re my team. Of course, I did. I’m just sorry as hell this happened.”
“Would both of you quit it with the I’m sorrys? It’s getting a little old,” West snapped.
I rolled my eyes. “Only West would be annoyed that people were worried about him after he was shot.”
Holt chuckled. “You’ve got him there.” He glanced at West. “Chopper’s coming to get us tomorrow. Do you want us to hire a nurse for when you’re back?”
“Fuck, no,” he barked.
My stomach cramped. West was leaving. We’d barely gotten started, and now this whole thing might disappear with the wind.
Holt shook his head. “Let me know if you change your mind. I’m gonna go grab us all lunch.”
“Thanks, man,” West said as his boss moved toward the door.
He took my hand, and I stared down at our interwoven fingers.
West tugged me closer. “You’re quiet all of a sudden.”
I met his gorgeous gaze. “I hate the idea of you leaving.”
West searched my eyes, looking for something I couldn’t identify. “What if you came with me?”
I stilled. “To Portland?”
“It’s the capital of coffee shops. It’s got a decent music scene, too. I’ve got more space in my condo than I know what to do with.”
My heart did a series of acrobatic flips that would’ve made a Cirque du Soleil member jealous. “Isn’t that a little soon?”
West shrugged, a grin pulling at his lips. “We only get one life. I’ve already wasted far too much of it away from you.”
Tears brimmed in my eyes. “I don’t want to waste another second.”
“Is that a yes?” he asked, his grin spreading wider.
“Yes.”
He pulled me down and met my mouth in a hungry kiss. “I love you, Lex.”
“Those words are the best music I will ever hear.”
West kissed me again, slower this time, pouring every ounce of that love into me.
A wolf whistle sounded from the doorway, and I jerked upright. Cara stood there, beaming. “It’s about damn time.”
“Care Bear,” West warned.
“You two were driving me up the wall with how hard you were trying to stay away from each other.”
I covered my mouth, trying to hold in my laughter.
“Does this mean you’re finally together?” she asked hopefully.
I winced. “You might be out of a roommate.”
Cara let out a whoop. “Don’t get me wrong. I’ll miss you like crazy, but I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks, Care. I’m gonna miss you, too.”
She grinned. “You know what this means?”
“What?” West asked dubiously.
“You two can finally start working on making me an auntie!”
I gaped, my gaze jerking to West’s. He simply smiled, heat filling his eyes. And I knew then that West wouldn’t waste a single second.
Thank you so much for reading the ENTIRE Lost & Found series!
I hope you loved the Hartley crew!