Chapter 63
63
SUMMER
I floated in and out of consciousness, dreams catching me and tugging me under, only for a dull throb to bring me back to the present. Sometimes I could hear people around me, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t open my eyes.
Finally, the dreams faded, and I woke up in a warm bed. I blinked and started to sit up, but pain shot through my midsection, and I returned my head to the pillow.
Where was I?
The last I could recall, I was lying on the ground, in the snow, while Asher fought Robert for his gun.
Asher.
Was he all right?
He’d said he loved me. Surely, the universe wouldn’t be cruel enough to steal him away from me now.
“Easy, Summer.”
I smiled. Even as confused as I was, I recognized that voice. “You’re okay.”
I turned my head. Asher sat on a chair beside the bed. Some kind of medical equipment was set up beside him, but he didn’t seem injured.
“I’m fine,” he said, taking my hand and clasping it gently. “But don’t ever do that to me again. I was so scared I was going to lose you.”
A laugh burst from me, and I winced. “How is this my fault?”
He grimaced. “You’re right. I’m so sorry I’ve caused you so many problems. If I’d just stayed away from you, you’d be safe at home right now.”
I tried to squeeze his hand, but I wasn’t sure whether it worked or not. “It’s not your fault either. That guy, whoever he was, had gone over the edge. No one else can be blamed for what he did. Besides, if you’d stayed away from me, I’d be miserable. We chose each other. No having second thoughts now.”
“I’m not.” He stroked the back of my hand. “I promise. I’ll always want you. I just hate seeing you hurt.”
No doubt he worried my family would blame him too.
“Good.” I closed my eyes, my entire body weary just from speaking a few sentences, but then forced them open again. “What happened after…?”
Asher pursed his lips and looked as if he was debating how much to tell me.
“I can handle it,” I said.
He looked doubtful but nodded. “I wasn’t able to take the gun from him. He was holding me at gunpoint when Connor snuck up behind him and bashed him over the head with a tree branch.”
I frowned. “Why was Connor there?”
His throat bobbled. “He was worried because he’d seen evidence that someone else had tried to get to the cabin, so he came out as early as he could to check on us. He discovered that the tree that fell across the road had been cut.”
My lips parted. Did that mean Robert had been hiding among the trees while we’d checked the cabin? I’d thought I’d heard something, but I’d believed Asher’s suggestion that it was an animal. After all, who would linger in the forest during a storm?
But if he’d heard or seen us coming, or somehow known we’d be there, it made sense that he’d have hidden. Or perhaps he’d been coming back from dropping Marcy off behind the information center.
“As soon as Connor realized we’d been trapped there intentionally, he called for help. That’s when he noticed the smoke. He walked toward the cabin, and when I didn’t respond to his attempts to contact me on the radio, he grabbed a branch to use as a weapon, in case we were in danger.” He shook his head. “We were lucky he was there.”
“Yeah…” I shuddered to think what might have happened if Connor hadn’t been concerned. Asher and I could have ended up both shot and bleeding out together in the snow. “The man… He was arrested?”
Asher nodded. “He’s in custody now for attempted murder, along with a list of other things. I’m not sure what will happen to him. He’s grieving and he had injuries of his own from the crash that killed his wife. It’s possible he suffered a head trauma that triggered him to behave so erratically. All I can tell you is that he’s locked up and won’t be coming after us again.”
“Thank God.” I closed my eyes again.
“I love you,” Asher murmured. “I don’t know if you remember me saying that, but I do, and I want you to know it.”
My eyelashes fluttered open, and I gazed over at his gorgeous face, with those dark eyes I’d always loved to feel watching me.
“I love you too,” I whispered. “Part of me always has.”
He cleared his throat. Emotion gleamed in his eyes. “Robert wanted to scare me, and he succeeded. Losing you would have broken me. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
I angled myself toward him, cursing the wound that made it impossible for me to roll over. “Luckily, you don’t have to, because you saved me.”
One corner of his mouth quirked up. “We saved each other. If you hadn’t gone for that gun, things might have turned out differently.”
“Ah, you’re awake.”
I glanced toward the doorway, where a man stood in blue scrubs. He was neatly shaven and a little plump.
“Have you had a drink?” he asked.
“Not yet.” I was a little thirsty though.
“Hmm. I’ll have one of the nurses bring you a glass of water. In the meantime, I just wanted to let you know that the surgery was successful. You should heal completely, other than a bit of scarring.”
“Thank you.” For some reason, it hadn’t even occurred to me to worry that my body might no longer work as it was supposed to, but I was grateful for the confirmation anyway. Suddenly, it struck me that Asher had never said whether he’d been hurt during the struggle. “And Asher?”
The doctor looked confused.
“All I have is a scrape on my forearm,” Asher assured me. “It will heal.”
“Good.”
The doctor left and less than a minute later, a nurse entered with a glass of water. She helped me drink, then passed Asher the glass to hold onto.
“Would you like me to get your family?” she asked.
My eyes widened. “They’re here?”
Asher chuckled. “Of course they are. What did you expect?”
“Then yes, please,” I told the nurse.
She promised to send them in shortly.
“Brace yourself,” Asher warned. “They’ve been worried sick, and you know how the Braddocks can be en masse.”
I grinned. “Can’t wait.”
I didn’t have to.
Toby stormed into the room, his expression frantic, and nudged Asher aside so he could stand beside me.
“This is not okay,” he grumbled. “I’m the reckless twin. You’re supposed to be responsible and…and…safe.”
I almost laughed. Only the recollection of how much it had hurt last time stopped me. “Don’t like the tables being turned?”
“Not even a little bit.”
I tapped my cheek, and he rolled his eyes but dropped a kiss on it.
The rest of my family was close behind. They gathered around me, and this time, nothing I could do would stop the tears streaming down my cheeks as they fussed over me. I loved this crazy bunch. They were everything to me. And right now, they didn’t hesitate to let me know that I meant everything to them too.
My heart was full.
“You two need to be more careful,” Liam said gruffly. “Asher—”
“Hey.” I cut him off, not willing to take any shit in my current mood. “No more being angry at Asher, okay? I know you guys had this idea of me being with a particular type of man—and the less said about that, the better—but Asher was asked to choose between saving himself and saving me, and he chose me. So, I don’t care if you think you know better. No one else could possibly love me more than he does.”
The corner of Liam’s mouth twitched, and he held his hands up defensively. “All I was going to say is that you’re two of my favorite people, and I expect you to take better care of each other, so we don’t have to do this again.”
I deflated. “Oh.”
Asher laughed, his whole face lighting up. “I love you, Summer.”
I smiled at him. “I love you too.”
Liam wrapped his arm around Kennedy, who’d appeared at his side. “I had some concerns, but it seems like I was wrong about them. I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you.” Something settled inside me at his acceptance of our relationship.His disapproval wouldn’t have prevented me from being with the man I loved, but I know the discord between them bothered Asher. Hopefully now, they could move on.
“You might be brothers one day,” I teased. I turned to Kennedy. “Thank you for flying everyone here.”
“Anything for you,” she replied, her lips pressed together tightly as if she might cry too. “But only once, all right? I can’t keep visiting my best friends in hospitals after they’ve been shot or stabbed.”
I rested my hand on hers. “I’ll do my best.”
She sniffed. “You’d better. Destiny Falls is supposed to be peaceful.”
I snorted. Yeah. So much for that.