Chapter 45
Link held Ansley’s hand all the way home from the hospital. He was thankful Bean was driving him home and would arrange to have his vehicle driven to his house the next day.
Ansley had a concussion, but nothing a few days' rest wouldn't solve. The other injuries would heal, and she would have no long-term effects from Pete dragging her out of his house and abusing her.
Pete was being held without bail. He'd broken more than just a few laws in his quest to trap Ansley. The podcast that had defamed Ansley was being taken down. They were working up an apology statement, trying to save face.
Ansley said she wanted any money they had to pay to go to victims of stalking. She had a great attitude about it all, said she didn't want revenge, only peace.
When he’d rushed into the hotel room and seen Pete with the knife held above Ansley, his heart had nearly shattered. Thank goodness his buddies had been there to take down Pete so he could focus on Ansley. If he had to deal with Pete, he might have killed the guy.
“I’m taking a few days off so I can spend time with you,” Link said as they pulled into the driveway of his house.
“I’m glad you made it home in time to save me.”
Link chuckled and pulled her close to kiss the side of her head. "So am I." He helped her out of Bean's vehicle and inside. She hugged him close as he shut the door and held onto him with both arms wrapped around his waist. It felt good to hold her.
“I just want to spend time with you and maybe eat some ice cream.”
“You got it,” Link said.
Ansley winced as she shook her head. “I didn’t think he was that deranged.”
“He couldn’t accept that his brother died in a stupid way. His brother was an idiot. I’m sorry you’ve had people die around you, but it wasn’t your fault.”
“I’m sorry you got caught up in my crap.“
“Don’t be sorry. You have nothing to apologize for. You didn’t make any of this happen.”
She let go of a heavy sigh. "Thank you for being here for me. For believing in me."
"Babe, I love you. You aren't defined by the bad things that happened around you, but by how you deal with the losses. You're strong and smart. You're a good person, and I love being with you."
“I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Deal,” Link said as he gently kissed the side of her head.
Ansley stared up into his eyes, a wide smile on her face.
He never thought he would find someone so special, so wonderful, who would accept him as he was, but he found Ansley.
He'd found the perfect woman for him, and he was going to do all he could to make sure she had a great life. This wasn’t the end of their story, but the beginning, and he couldn’t wait to see how the rest of their life turned out.