Chapter 32
Brett sat in the tiny waiting room with too much furniture, Toby and Theo sleeping cradled on his chest. It had been right in this very room that he’d sat with John after Joni and Luke’s death, one pivotal moment in his life bleeding into another.
The doctor had come out an hour ago to update him on Grace’s condition. It had been touch-and-go for a while there, he said. She’d inhaled a lot of smoke and needed to be resuscitated in the ambulance, but she was stable now and he expected her to make a full recovery.
The fact that Brett had nearly lost her brought him to his knees.
He’d left Razorback to get through the tape that bound her and raced to find the boys.
He succeeded thanks in no small part to Theo’s world-class screaming.
The moment he’d stepped in the room with them, the second explosion reverberated through the building like a wrecking ball knocking down a wall.
He’d stood there looking at his sons, terrified he’d lost Grace at the same moment he’d found his sons.
How could he possibly lose her at the very moment he knew she was meant to stay in his life?
He’d loved her since the first time she’d banged on his door with her keys, loved her while she dated the local minister, loved her while he drank a beer on his deck and wondered what she was doing on the other side of their duplex.
He just never thought he was worthy of being in her life.
But these boys had taught him a few things since entering his life, like he was only as good as he allowed himself to believe he could be. In stepping up to be their father, he was finally able to see himself differently, see that maybe he could love and be loved after all.
He rubbed his cheek atop Theo’s head, the boy’s feather-soft hair catching on his stubbled chin, and he allowed himself to dream.
He could see it as clear as day. The four of them could be a real family.
There’d be bedtime stories and Sunday breakfasts, snuggling under covers and stringing holiday lights on the tree.
Not only did he know he could do it, he wanted it like he’d never wanted anything before.
Just let her be okay, and I promise I’ll never take her for granted again.
The waiting room door opened and John entered, taking a seat opposite Brett and leveling him with an inscrutable stare. “She’s awake and asking for you.”
Brett moved to get up, but John held up a hand to still him. “Not yet. The nurse will be back to let you in shortly.” There was a sadness in his eyes that Brett understood far too well. This man had lost Grace, just as Brett had nearly lost her, too. “She’s lucky to be alive.”
Brett nodded slowly. “I never meant for her to get hurt.”
The minister smiled a sad smile. “Are you referring to the fire or her heart?”
Brett wondered how he knew. “I’m not going to hurt her heart. Not if I can help it, anyway. Just so you know, Grace and I didn’t start seeing each other until after you’d broken up.”
“Do you love her?”
Brett didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“Does she love you?”
Did she? That was the million dollar question. She’d pushed him away after they made love, but his gut told him she felt the same way he did. “I sure hope so.”
John’s stare was unfocused, and Brett had the distinct impression the loss of his relationship with Grace would weigh on this man for years to come. “She’s a good woman. Better than she knows. Take care of her.”
“I’ll do my best.”
John stood just as a nurse stuck her head in the door. “Mr. Champion, you can see her now.”
Brett got up, jostling the twins into a more comfortable position. “Thank you.” He followed her out the door and she led the way through a maze of hallways and security doors until reaching the ICU.
Grace lay perfectly still in bed, bandages covering portions of her arms and head. Emotion threatened to overwhelm him as he crossed to her and sat. “Grace?”
She tilted her head toward him and opened her eyes, pain registering in their depths before she closed them again. “Are the boys okay?”
“Yes, they’re right here. Not a scratch on them.”
“Thank God.”
He settled Theo in the crook of her arm, and she grinned despite her obvious pain. “You’re going to be okay, too,” he said.
“The doctor told me. I want to go home.” She reached for Toby and he handed the second baby to her.
“Just as soon as you get your strength back.”
“I was so scared we were going to lose them.”
His mouth pulled down hard at the corners, a wave of emotion nearly knocking him to the floor. His voice cracked when he spoke. “I was scared I was going to lose you.”
“I saw my mother. My birth mother. I think maybe I died. She told me I had a choice, that I could be with her and Dad in heaven or I could come back here.” She squinted up at him. “I wanted to come back to you. I wanted to come back to the boys.”
He bent over and kissed her forehead.
“You do realize you’re going to have to change diapers all by yourself until I can bust out of here.”
He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “That’s okay, I can handle it. Just get yourself well so you can come home.”
“My home or your home?”
“Is there a difference?”
She sighed contentedly. “I love you.”
The words shocked him into stillness. No one had said that to him in years. So much had changed, things he’d never expected to change in his lifetime.
She tucked her chin. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
This was the family he never knew he wanted, Grace the woman he never wanted to live without. He bent again, and this time he kissed her mouth. “I love you, too. Now get some rest so you can come home to us.”