Chapter Twenty-Six
Leo surfaced slowly, dragging himself through the lingering fog of sedation.
He was conscious of the pain before he was fully aware of anything else.
The gunshot wound in his arm throbbed beneath the bandage, a hot, insistent pulse the drugs had sanded down to bearable but hadn’t managed to erase entirely.
His ribs complained as he tried to shift, his kidneys sent up a dull protest of their own, and beneath it all lingered the fatigue of a body that had been fighting to put itself back together.
He’d been dreaming. Anja’s forehead had rested against his own as she whispered something that his sleeping mind had latched onto and refused to let go of even now.
I love you too. He held on to the memory, uncertain whether it belonged to the real world or the mist the medication had wrapped around him, and found he badly wanted it to be real.
Leo turned his head to see her curled awkwardly asleep in the chair beside his bed.
She couldn’t possibly be comfortable with her hand loosely wrapped around his where it rested on the blanket.
She looked wrecked by exhaustion but would refuse to admit she needed rest. Dark circles smudged the pale skin beneath her eyes.
Her hair had been secured in a ponytail that had mostly given up, and a faint smear of dried blood was visible on her collar.
She was, without question, the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life.
He must have made a sound because her eyes opened immediately, alert even through the haze of sleep. Her body had learned a long time ago never to fully let its guard down. She found him watching her, and her face lit up.
“You’re awake.” Her hand tightened around his.
“I meant it.” The words came out despite everything his body wanted to tell him about how much effort speaking currently cost. “What I said in the lobby. I know I ran off before you could respond, and I’ve been kicking myself for that ever since. I just wanted you to know I meant every word of it.”
For one horrifying second he thought she might actually cry, and Anja Johansen weeping fell squarely into the category of situations Leo was spectacularly unqualified to handle.
“I love you too.” The words came without hesitation. “I should have told you back then. I’m telling you now.”
A warmth spread through him that outmatched every ache in his battered body without even trying. Leo had cracked ribs, bruised kidneys, and a face that had clearly lost an argument with a cement mixer, but he had never, in his entire life, felt better than he did right now.
“Say it again,” he urged.
“I love you.” She smiled. “There. Don’t get used to hearing it on demand.”
“Too late.” He grinned even though his split lip objected. “I’m going to make you say it constantly for the rest of your life.”
“Bold words for a man who can’t currently sit up without grimacing.” She leaned back in the chair, studying him thoughtfully. He recognized the look in her eyes from strategy sessions over the last few days. “We should probably talk about what happens after this. Once you’re out of here.”
“What’s there to talk about?”
“You live in St. Louis. I live in Bloomington.” She laid it out the same way she would a case file, with facts stacked in order. “Long distance never works, Leo. I’ve seen it fail more times than I can count.”
“Have you tried it?”
That caught her off guard. Her mouth opened and then closed while she considered it. “Well, no. But the odds are against it, statistically speaking.”
“You’re quoting me statistics while I’m laid up in a hospital bed.” He laughed and immediately regretted it, one hand flying to his ribs while he rode out the resulting spike of pain. “I’ve been thinking.”
“About what?”
“About those odds.” He caught his breath, pausing for the ache to settle back down to its usual dull throb before he continued. “For how long, you’re wondering? About the last minute or so, if you want the honest answer.”
“A minute.” Her face lit up with a smile. “That’s a long time for you to have solved a problem I only just brought up.”
“I work fast under pressure. You’ve seen it.
” He held her gaze, more serious now, the teasing edge falling away.
“I love Bloomington. I’ve been thinking about it since the wedding, honestly, even before all of this.
Chloe’s there. Kayne’s there. My parents are thinking of buying property nearby.
My whole family’s basically relocated four hundred miles away, and I’m still sitting in a condo in St. Louis wondering why instead of just living where I could see them whenever I wanted. ”
If he had to name her expression, it would be hope trying not to show itself too plainly.
“So this is about your sister.”
“Part of it.” He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers despite the IV taped to the back of his own.
“I want to be clear: this isn’t only about you.
There’s no pressure or expectations. I’d be thinking about this move regardless of whether you were in the picture at all.
” He watched her face fall a fraction before he continued.
“But truthfully, since apparently that’s the theme of tonight, it’s mostly about you.
Chloe’s a good excuse. You’re the actual reason. ”
Anja stared at him, and the armor slipped just enough for him to glimpse the younger, more hopeful woman she kept carefully tucked behind it.
“Well.” She cleared her throat, visibly working to center herself. “I suppose I could pull a few strings. See about getting you settled somewhere close. Give this a real trial run instead of a theoretical one.”
“How close?”
Her mouth curved, the dry humor creeping back in.
“I have a spare room, De Luca. Well, technically it’s full of gear CObrA Securities insists I keep on hand.
It could become a bedroom, in theory, if a certain sports agent wanted to see whether living together actually worked before either of us got ahead of ourselves. ”
“You’re inviting me to move in?”
“I’m suggesting we find out if this is real before we build our entire future on a hospital bed confession and good intentions.
” She squeezed his hand, and despite the practicality in her tone, there was nothing guarded left in her eyes at all.
“But yes. If you’re serious about Bloomington, I’d like you closer than a four-hour drive. ”
“I’m serious.” He brought her hand up and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life, and I’ve just spent the last week getting shot and beaten half to death, so that’s saying something.”
“Low bar.” She was smiling now, fully and without reservation. He’d only caught glimpses of that smile in the five months of knowing her.
“High bar, actually.” He tugged her hand gently, and she rose from the chair and leaned down over the bed rail, mindful of his ribs.
She kissed him slowly, nothing rushed about it and, for once, not stolen between crises.
Leo felt the last of his uncertainty settle into place, nothing left in the world worth worrying about except the woman currently smiling against his mouth.
He was finally no longer bracing for the next disaster.
“Get some more rest,” she murmured. “We’ve got a whole life to figure out, and none of it starts until they let you out of this bed.”
“Stay. Please.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” She relaxed back into the chair, but this time she kept her hand in his.
Leo closed his eyes. The ache in his body dulled beneath a happiness so complete it drowned everything else out.
He let himself drift back toward sleep with her fingers laced through his and the rest of their lives waiting patiently on the other side of morning.
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