20. Chapter Twenty
Chapter twenty
N ick woke up holding Aria’s hand and seeing her sweet smile. The TV was on low and the kids were watching a Futurama rerun. They all looked relaxed.
Aria squeezed his hand. “They just finished dinner. Hawk went out and got them all ice cream. They finished the whole tub. Mason and Lyric will be back soon.”
He smiled for the first time since he’d last seen her. “You made a new friend.”
Stacy was sound asleep on Aria’s lap. Aria held the ten-year-old, her arms wrapped protectively around her, Stacy’s head tucked under Aria’s chin.
“She had a bad dream. I offered her a hug. Told her I could use one, too. She went right back to sleep, though I think it had more to do with a full belly and her trying to stay awake and on guard.”
He couldn’t fault the child for that after all she’d been through. “I want you in my arms so badly right now,” he whispered, not wanting the kids to overhear him. Not caring that Aria heard the desperation in his plea.
“I want that, too. How are you? Are you in pain? Do you need me to get the doctor?”
He shook his head, setting off a wave of pain through his shoulder and chest. “The nurse probably knows I woke up. She’ll be here soon.”
“That didn’t answer my questions.”
“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
Her eyes narrowed and her nose scrunched. “Getting shot three times and stabbed is not nothing,” she whisper-yelled at him. “Why the hell did you go into that place alone?”
He answered her by looking at the kids in the room.
She huffed out a frustrated breath. “You could have died.”
It had been another close call. Closer than he’d really like to think about. “Are you really mad? Is this too much for you?”
“What? No. I’m not mad at you. You saved these kids’ lives. I was scared to death I’d lose you. I’ll take you any way I can get you, but you better try to stay in one damn piece.”
His grin grew into a full-blown smile. “I’ll do my best.”
The nurse knocked gently, then walked into the room. The two girls at the other end of the room went on alert until they realized it was just the nurse they’d had last night. Nick had asked that they limit the number of new faces that came into the room, so the kids weren’t in a constant state of fight or flight.
“It’s just me, Carly, kids. You all good?”
The girls nodded. Toby barely managed to open his eyes before closing them again, thanks to the meds the nurse gave him earlier for his broken arm.
“You push that button if you need anything. Right now, I’m going to check out your superhero.”
Nick rolled his eyes.
Carly did her usual routine, checking his blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen level. “One to ten, what’s your pain level right now?”
“About a six.”
“Have you hit that button for the morphine since you woke up?” She checked the monitor and his IV line.
“No. I wanted to be lucid while I stared at my gorgeous girlfriend holding a little girl like she’s her favorite thing in the world, besides me.”
Aria chuckled. “She is a good snuggler.”
“She needs them.” Nick was so glad to see Stacy reaching out to someone for affection after what she’d been through. Kids in her situation lost their trust in others.
But Nick got why Stacy ended up in Aria’s arms. Who could resist her warmth and understanding?
“But soon, it’s going to be my turn.” He held her beautiful blue gaze.
“You took ten years off my life, Nick. You owe me some affection.”
“I will deliver.” He winked at her.
Carly narrowed her gaze. “Not in your condition, honey. You can’t even raise your arm.”
Nick shrugged his good shoulder. “I guarantee I can manage with one arm.”
Carly rolled her eyes. “You just take some time to heal first.”
Nick stared at Aria. “She’s the best medicine I could get.”
Aria blushed, but she never stopped smiling. “I think he’s definitely on the mend.”
Yeah. And he had work to do to protect these kids from the bastard who tried to kill him. “Has Agent Hayward been by?”
Aria glared at him. “Yes. I sent him away. You need your rest. You need to take some time to let what happened to you settle.”
“I’m fine, Aria.”
“Are you? Because I wouldn’t be if someone tried to kill me.” Tears gathered in her eyes and one spilled over her lashes, killing him.
“Baby, please don’t cry. Not when I can’t get out of this bed and hold you.”
The girls scrambled off the bed across the way and immediately went to Aria, wrapping their arms around her.
Nick stared in astonishment.
“It’s okay.” Emma patted Aria’s head.
Nicole squeezed Aria’s hand. “They were going to move us that afternoon. If he hadn’t shown up, who knows if anyone would have ever found us?”
Nick stored away that little bit of information.
Emma petted Aria’s hair again and again. “They were trying to find someone to fix Toby’s arm, but the guy didn’t answer his phone. Some doctor named Pick.”
“Pike,” Nicole corrected.
Stacy woke up in Aria’s arms. “What’s going on?” She looked at the two girls. “Is everything okay?”
“Agent Nick’s awake.”
Stacy sat up with a grin. “You slept a long time.”
“I needed it, like you.”
Nurse Carly went to Stacy. “I think Miss Aria would like to give Agent Nick a big ol’ hug. Let’s get you settled back in your bed. If you’re ready.”
Stacy glanced up at Aria. “Thanks.”
“Anytime, my friend. Would you like me to help you get snuggled under the covers?”
Stacy’s cheeks pinked, but she nodded despite the embarrassment.
“You got it.” Aria rose and hugged Stacy to her chest.
He hadn’t thought much about having a family. With his demanding schedule, he didn’t know how he’d fit it in. But now, things were changing. Because of her. All Nick could think was that one day she’d carry their child in her arms and put them to bed just like that. And just like Stacy, they’d look into Aria’s eyes and feel her love and know that they were safe and loved.
That’s how she made him feel, too.
Now, having kids didn’t seem so challenging. He wanted to see Aria as the mother of their kids. He wanted that happy, chaotic family life he remembered from his childhood.
Aria settled Stacy and turned off the light over her bed. The other two girls crawled back into their beds and did the same.
Nurse Carly pressed the button on Nick’s pain meds for him. He glared at her.
“You need them, use them. At least for tonight. The more sleep you get, the better you’ll feel, and the more you can be with her.”
Aria came to his side. “I’m not going anywhere, so take her advice and get some sleep.”
Nick held up his good arm even though it hurt his chest and cracked rib. Aria gently leaned over him, kissed him softly, and held him close. Her familiar peach scent filled his nose and eased him. She smelled like summer and sunshine. She smelled and felt like home.
He buried his face in her neck and didn’t want to ever let her go. “I’m sorry I ruined your trip to Boston. I know you wanted to check out the city.”
“Nick, it’s okay. I’d rather be here with you anyway.”
She’d been looking forward to the trip. She didn’t often get to travel. The bar and her family took up all her time. “I’ll take you there. We’ll go together and explore everything. You can visit your sister.”
She pulled back and looked him in the eye. “You don’t have to make anything up to me. As long as you’re okay, I’m happy.”
“I want to make you happy.”
“You do.” She kissed him again and all he wanted to do was pull her into the bed with him and kiss her over and over again until neither of them were thinking about anything but each other.
But they had an audience and every jostle of his body hurt like hell.
Aria sensed him tensing in her arms and immediately released him and stood up. “Just rest, Nick. You’ll be out of here soon and we’ll figure the rest out.”
Mason and Lyric walked in slowly, giving the kids a chance to see them, before they headed for Nick.
“How you doing, man?” Mason put his hand on Nick’s shoulder and gave him a gentle squeeze.
“Waking up to her is heaven every time.”
Aria smiled at him. “He’s feeling guilty because we cut our trip to Boston short.”
Lyric waved that away. “Melody is marrying a multi-millionaire. Fox offered to fly us in any time we want.”
Nick reached for his phone on the table beside his bed, but Aria snatched it away first, then turned to Mason and whispered, “Nick is sidelined, so you’re up, big guy. Emma said that they were going to get a Dr. Pike to fix Toby’s arm but he’s out of town visiting a sick relative. From the story Nick gave you about what went down, Javier is hurt and can’t exactly go to a hospital with a gunshot wound. I bet Dr. Pike has already heard from him.”
Nick stared at Aria.
“What?” She raised a brow.
“You’d make a good agent.”
She shook her head. “I’ll leave that to you. After you get some more rest.” She brushed her hand over his head and kept running her fingers through his hair, soothing him. The drugs were starting to kick in and make him sleepy.
“I’m on this.” Mason walked out of the room, probably to call Agent Hayward, who was heading up the investigation while Nick was out of commission.
Aria tugged Lyric closer. “We could go out later and get the kids a few things they’ll need before they see their parents again.”
Lyric’s eyes lit up. “Yes. Absolutely.” They kept their voices low so the kids didn’t hear, but Nick heard and loved Aria even more for thinking of them and what they’d need for the next couple days.
Aria squeezed his hand. “If you give me your keys, I’ll go by your place and pick up some clothes for you.”
He barely had enough energy to smile at her. “Mom and Dad are going to bring my stuff tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
He worried about her leaving. “You don’t have a car.”
Lyric sat in Aria’s vacant seat. “Hawk and his brothers came by Mason’s place while we were there and left us his Land Rover.”
Aria leaned over him just before he fell asleep. “You have nothing to worry about. The kids are fine. Mason is getting someone to track down the doctor. I’m not going anywhere. Sleep.”
The last thing he remembered was he wanted to tell her he loved her and the taste of her sweet lips against his before everything went blank.