Chapter 43
Chapter
Forty-Three
ANABELLE
Sitting beside his hospital bed, I clutch Asher’s hand. I haven’t left him since they wheeled him in here three days ago.
The horror I felt when I saw him bleeding out on the ground still haunts me. I don’t think it’s an image I’ll ever get out of my head. All I could think of was that he was going to die without knowing I loved him. I never had the courage to tell him.
They had to restart his heart twice when he was on the operating table, and the first twenty-four hours after surgery were harrowing.
I made a promise to myself that if he made it out of this alive, I would tell him exactly how I feel about him, no matter if I’m scared that he doesn’t feel the same or that he’ll still want to send me away.
I hear the door creak open behind me, then Sid’s voice. “Anabelle, you should really go home. Get some rest, shower.”
I shake my head as he comes around to the other side of the bed. “Is that your way of telling me I stink?”
He eyes me with pity. “That’s my way of saying you need to take care of yourself too. Whether you’re here or not won’t change the outcome. Let me take over for a bit.”
Asher’s brothers have been surprisingly kind and supportive over the past few days. Even Kol, who I have to thank for the fact that Galen is dead.
Apparently, security called Kol after Asher hung up on them before they could tell him it wasn’t me driving my vehicle when it burst through the gates. Kol saw that Galen had been about to pull the trigger and shot too, hitting him between the eyes and killing him instantly.
It took Kol a day to show up at the hospital because he was questioned by police.
Sid told me what story to tell about my injuries when they came to speak to me at the hospital—I had fallen down the stairs.
The doctor who had stitched me up backed up my story.
Everything that had happened with Galen at the bar, I told the truth about.
Kol was released and not charged. I don’t know if that’s because they worked some billionaire voodoo magic or what, and I don’t care. No one should pay the price for killing a piece of shit like Galen LeBlanc.
I squeeze Asher’s hand and push the hair off his forehead. “I’m not going anywhere, Sid.”
He nods, accepting that he’s not going to get anywhere with me on this subject. Nero and Kol have already tried and given up.
We’re both quiet, gazing down at Asher. His skin is still a sickly gray color, nothing close to its usual olive tone.
“Do you think he’s going to wake up?” I ask in a low voice.
“The doctor says there’s no reason he shouldn’t.”
I wish his words inspired confidence. “I know, but it’s been three days.”
“His body has gone through a lot of trauma. It needs to heal.” Sid gives me a wan smile, and I nod.
“Any change?”
I turn and see Kol walk into the room.
I frown. “No change. Not yet.”
He nods and stands beside me, squeezing my shoulder. It’s obvious to me that this past week has really shaken him.
I turn and look up at Kol. “I never got to thank you for what you did the night of the gala. And for shooting Galen.”
We haven’t really broached either subject. When I asked once what became of Preston and the driver, Kol shut me down right away, telling me that the less I knew, the better.
Kol squeezes my shoulder again before letting his hand drop.
I’m not surprised he doesn’t say anything. He’s a man of few words.
It’s weird, but over the past few days, I’ve come to feel as close to Kol, Sid, and Nero as I do my own brother. I suppose going through trauma together will do that.
Luke stopped by yesterday to see me after he heard through some people in town what had happened. He wasn’t pleased that he had to hear it from other people, but once I explained that my entire focus is on Asher, he seemed to come around.
“Where’s Nero?” I ask to fill the silence.
“With his irritating fiancée,” Kol says.
I shake my head. “Try to be nice.”
“He said they’ll be by this afternoon,” Sid says.
I nod and stare back down at Asher. “I just want him to wake up.” I stand and hover over Asher, bringing my lips to his forehead. “I love you. Please come back to me.”
When I pull away, I gasp when I see his deep blue eyes gazing up at me.
“Either I died and am in heaven, or I’m dreaming and when I blink, you’ll be in some naughty nurse’s outfit.”
“Asher!” I hug him on instinct but pull away when I hear him groan. “I’m sorry.”
“I’ll get the doctor.” Sid rushes from the room.
“Asher, you’re awake. Oh thank god, I was so scared.”
“Good to see you on the right side of the sod, brother,” Kol says from behind me.
Asher chuckles but cringes in pain. “Thanks. What happened after I was shot?”
“Don’t you worry about that. There will be lots of time to talk about that. We’re just all so glad that you’re okay.”
The doctor rushes in with Sid at his heels and demands that we all back up and give him some room to examine Asher.
I move to the corner, biting my lip and anxious for the moment the doctor says everything checks out. And then it hits me—what if Asher still sends me away once the fog of his recovery wears off? What if he still doesn’t want to be with me?
No. I don’t care what I have to do to convince him. I’m not going anywhere.
The doctor does his thing, and when he’s finished, he turns to us.
“Everything looks good. Assuming there are no setbacks, he should be able to go home in a couple of days.” He turns to look at Asher.
“You’ll need to come back for some follow-ups, but you can recover at home and have a nurse come in everyday to check on your progress. ”
When Asher doesn’t respond because he’s staring across the room at me, Sid steps in. “Thank you, doctor. We appreciate all you’ve done for us.”
The doctor says his goodbyes and leaves the room. Asher is still staring at me.
“We’ll give you two some time alone.” Sid looks at Kol and nods toward the door.
The door closes behind them as I walk over to the bed, unsure what to expect from Asher. Will he be happy that I’m here? I take the seat I was in before, and he reaches for me. I take his hand and clutch it as though he might disappear.
“Anabelle, I’m sorry for the things I said. For sending you away like I did.”
The anxiety rushes from my body, replaced by elation. Tears swim in my eyes. “I was so scared when I found you.”
“I was so afraid I was going to die before I could tell you I love you,” he says.
I blink, and the first tears fall.
“I’ve never loved anyone like I love you, Anabelle, and I refuse to be away from you again. I want you to be a part of my life forever. Whatever that means to you, I don’t care. We can live together, be a Dom and Sub, get married… I just know that living without you isn’t an option.”
I let my head drop and bring his hand to my forehead while I cry in relief. Once I’ve composed myself, I look back up at him. “I was prepared to fight you and tell you that I’m not going anywhere. Thank you for saving me the trouble.”
He chuckles and cringes again.
“I love you, Asher Voss. All the parts of you. The damaged ones, the healing ones, and the perfect ones. I never want to be without you again.” I stand and lean over him, pressing my lips to his.
“Forever,” he says.
“Forever.”
Asher has been recovering at home for a couple weeks now and is finally able to get out of bed and walk around a bit. He certainly hasn’t been the easiest of patients, but I’m not complaining. I’m just happy that he’s here for me to fuss over.
Today, I’m taking him to see his surprise as part of his daily walk. We move slowly through the house because I don’t want him to overdo it, and when we reach the entrance to the maze, I turn to him.
“You sure you’re up for this? If not, it can wait for another day.”
“Stop worrying about me. Let’s go.” He starts in ahead of me.
I roll my eyes and follow him. Because I’ve been in and out of this maze so many times, it doesn’t take long for us to approach the center square.
“I’ve been working on this for a while,” I say as we get close. “I wanted to do this for you because I could tell it was special to you.”
He takes my hand and squeezes, giving me a quizzical look. “I’m intrigued.”
We walk into the open square, and he sees his surprise right away. I know because he stops walking, and when I look up at him, his eyes are glassy with tears.
“How…”
I let go of his hand and walk over to the rose bush that’s in full bloom and healthier than ever.
Plump red roses cover the bush, and gone are the dying leaves and the overabundance of thorns.
“I found a book of your mom’s in the library, and she had a bunch of notes in it on how she cared for it. I just followed her instructions.”
“My mother…” he whispers and steps up beside me. “Anabelle, I…”
He doesn’t finish his sentence, instead bending down and kissing me thoroughly. Joy fills in my chest. His reaction is all I could have hoped for.
He pulls away and cups my face. “Marry me.”
I blink several times and let out a nervous chuckle. “What?”
We haven’t discussed what he said to me in the hospital bed. It didn’t seem right to talk about when he was still bedridden and recovering.
“I’m not prepared. I don’t have a ring or anything with me, but I’ll get you whatever you want. Just please, be my wife. I won’t live without you, and I want to be as committed to you, to us, as I can be.”
Maybe it makes me crazy, but I don’t have to think about my answer. I’m nodding before he’s even finished speaking. “Yes, I’ll marry you!”
He kisses me again. Eventually we sink down onto the ground, making love among the petals and the thorns.