Chapter 22
Cameron
Everything I’ve been waiting for is here in this hospital room. Lacey’s alive. Whole. Mine.
A rap sounds on the hospital room’s door and a nurse steps inside. “How’s our favorite patient doing this morning?” he asks as he crosses the floor to stand beside her bed. “Vitals are great. Looks like we can remove the IV, get you something to eat.”
In answer to his promise, Lacey’s stomach grumbles. “Food would be good,” she says, raising her arm as the nurse quickly releases the needle and pops a Band-Aid on it. “But I really just want to go home.”
“We’ll get those discharge papers ready after the doctor on the floor gives the go-ahead,” he promises. “Won’t be too long.”
We wait until the nurse wraps up his final vital sign check and signs the board hanging on the wall next to her. Then he raises her bed so she can sit up and positions the pillows behind her head before leaving her with strict instructions not to go anywhere without assistance.
I assure him that I won’t let her make a move without my help and then we’re finally alone.
“I haven’t got anything to wear,” Lacey says, glancing down at her hospital gown.
“Riley brought over a change of clothes for you yesterday.” I take her hand and brush my thumb over the smooth, pale skin. “Once you’re officially released, we’ll head over to your place to get more and then you’re coming back to Starlight Vineyards with me.”
“I should contact my manager,” she says. “If I still have a job, that is.”
“They can’t fire you for being kidnapped,” I say.
“True. But I do need to get back to work eventually,” she says. “Which means we’ll have to figure out how to see each other while you’re at headquarters in Starlight and I’m working in Atlanta.”
“It’s only a few hours away, give or take the traffic. We can make it work,” I say. “And you’ll get that promotion too. Then we’ll figure out the logistics.”
My cell phone pings. “Hold on,” I say, reluctantly releasing her hand to answer the text. It’s Beckett with good news. “Riley wants you to come to Starlight. Recuperate in one of their luxury cabins before you return to your place.”
Lacey sighs. “That sounds perfect. Honestly, I wish I could stay there forever,” she admits. “But first things first. Let’s get me out of here.”
A couple of hours later, she’s filled out mountains of paperwork, taken a shower and gotten dressed. Finally, we’re able to leave the hospital and swing by her place to get her clothes and other girly stuff. Now we’re returning to where we first met and had our first dance.
I plan on dancing with her every day, with or without a DJ in the house.
The drive to Starlight Vineyards is peaceful through Blue Ridge Parkway’s mountains. The sprawling vines with their spring leaves and early budding grapes are a stark contrast to the chaos we left behind in Atlanta.
Lacey rests her head against the seat, eyes closed, the tension in her shoulders finally easing. She takes a deep breath and releases a soft sigh. “I love these mountains so much.”
“I love that you’re driving through them with me,” I say.
She’s still exhausted, but she’s secure now.
As we pull up the main lodge, the warm glow of the tasting room lights welcomes us. No one would ever know we’re housing a Select Protectors branch here.
Beckett and Riley are already waiting on the porch, their smiles wide as we step out of the SUV. Riley rushes forward, bounding down the wide stairs and pulls Lacey into a careful but fierce hug.
“You scared the hell out of us,” she says, squeezing Lacey gently before pulling back. “But now you’re here. And out of danger.”
Lacey smiles, a little wobbly but full of warmth. “Thanks to Cameron, Beckett and the rest of the Select Protectors team.”
Beckett claps a hand on my shoulder. “Hell of a job, man. But we got her out. Won’t be long before we get the bastard that came after her.”
I nod, my grip tightening around Lacey’s waist. “The important thing is this is she’s where she belongs.” With me. Forever.
“Come inside,” Riley urges, looping her arm through Lacey’s. “I’ve got something for you.”
Inside the scent of fresh-baked bread and aged wine fills the air. A cozy fire crackles in the hearth opposite the tasting counter, and a bottle of Starlight’s signature red sits on a table nestled between a group of plush chairs.
Lacey sinks into one of them, sighing in relief as I take the seat beside her. “A girl could get used to this,” she says happily.
Riley hands her a folded sheet of paper. “Barringtons’ CEO called me on Friday. He couldn’t reach you after you lost your cell phone, but since you listed me as your emergency contact, he reached out to me. I explained what happened and he immediately sent me this via fax.”
Lacey frowns, curiosity lighting her gaze as she unfolds the paper. She scans the letter, her eyes widening with every word. “Oh my God,” she breathes. “They offered me the promotion.”
Riley grins. “And that’s not the best part. Keep reading.”
Her fingers tremble as she continues to scan the page. A slow smile spreads across her face before she lifts her gaze to mine, her eyes shining. “The new position allows me to work remotely except for when I need to attend in-house meetings. There’ll be some travel, but I can live anywhere.”
I exhale, relief lifting the final vestiges of invisible weight from my shoulders. “That means?—”
“I can stay here. With you,” she finishes, her voice full of wonder.
I don’t hesitate. The moment feels too real to let slip away.
I stand and reach for her, my fingers curling around her smaller hand, warm and soft against my calloused palm.
A shiver races up my spine as I pull her to her feet, but it has nothing to do with the spring breeze and everything to do with Lacey.
She’s standing here with me, looking like I’m her entire world.
And then I capture her lips with mine, claiming her, unable to hold back a second longer. I pour everything into it—hope, love, the unshakeable certainty that this is where I belong.
That she is where I belong.
She tastes like sugar and salt, something that’s all her. I slide my fingers into her hair, threading through the silky strands as I angle my head, deepening the kiss, breathing her in.
When I finally pull back, I rest my forehead against hers, my breath mingles with hers in the quiet space between us. Her lashes flutter against her cheeks, and her eyes shimmer with something bright, something unbreakable.
“We’ll find a place in Fernwood,” I murmur, my voice rough with emotion. “Or build. Or even live here in Starlight.”
A tear slips free, trailing down her cheek, but her smile is radiant. She squeezes my hands, her grip firm, unwavering. “I don’t care where we live as long as we’re together,” she says.
A throat clears behind us, breaking the moment.
“Well, damn,” Beckett mutters, his tone dry but amuse. “If I knew this was turning into a mushy romance movie, I would have brought popcorn.”
Lacey’s laugh rings out, light and full of life, and it’s the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard. It warms something deep inside me. She’s here. She’s safe. And she’s mine.
And for the first time in longer than I can remember, everything is exactly as it should be.
Especially when she rises on her tiptoes, twining her hands around my neck, pulling me back to her. Our lips meet again, the kiss slow and unhurried, the kind that speaks of promises already made.
And just like that, the world fades away, leaving only this—her warmth against me, her heartbeat in sync with mine.
We’re home. Finally.