33. River
Chapter Thirty-Three
RIVER
I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Somewhere in the midst of our journey upstairs, Huntley’s mom had disappeared. It gave me time to breathe where she was concerned because I had no clue what to say to the woman after all these years.
She saved my life.
And she was the mother of the only man I’d ever loved.
What were the damn odds?
Is that what one would call fate?
The nurses moved around the room getting Huntley settled and I couldn’t seem to look away for a fraction of a second, afraid of losing sight of him. A bundle of nerves buzzed, swarming like bees in my belly.
A part of me was almost scared to be alone with Huntley.
I had so much to tell him; yet I didn’t have a clue how to say it.
When it was only the two of us left in the room I stood at the foot of his bed, my feet rooted to the vinyl floor, my lips unmoving.
“You’re beautiful. ”
His soft-spoken declaration had me all twisted up inside. My mind was at war with my heart which soared as it always did when he said sweet things because a part of me believed I didn’t deserve his kindness…
Or him.
And on those thoughts, I said what I was thinking. “I don’t deserve you. How can you forgive me after running like a coward?”
Huntley tried to sit up and groaned in pain. That had my feet moving quickly to the side of his bed. “Don’t move for heaven’s sake, you’re hurt.”
Not listening, he reached out his hand and pulled me so close that if I hadn’t dug in my heels a bit I’d probably have ended up sprawled across him on the bed. He looked at me and I swear he could see straight into my soul.
“There’s nothing to forgive, baby, and you deserve anything your heart desires.”
My breath hitched and I mumbled, “What if my heart desires you?”
Shit, I hadn’t meant to say that so he could hear. He gave my hand a light tug and the next thing I knew, I found myself exactly where I’d been thinking about seconds before. In the hospital bed on top of him.
He grunted and I tried to scurry off, but he didn’t let me go.
This was the most he’d touched me without seeking permission about every little move he made, but that was exactly what I’d asked him to do when we’d been spending so much time together. It shocked me how natural it felt.
But the dipshit was hurting himself.
“Hold still and move up beside me.” He scooted over to one side of the bed as far as he could and by the sounds he was making, I knew it hurt .
When I stayed frozen in place, I heard him whisper, “Please.”
His soft pleading voice was my undoing. I carefully wiggled my way up next to him and turned just a smidge on my side, so I was facing him. “You’re crazy, I’m going to hurt you even more.”
“I’m crazy about you,” he said with conviction. “And It would hurt me more not to have you this close to me.”
I couldn’t hold back the tears that slipped freely down my cheeks or the words that burst, not only from my lips, but from my heart too.
“I love you.”
A sharp intake of breath filled the room as Huntley’s eyes widened in what I assumed was surprise. Then his face softened as he pinned his piercing green gaze on me.
“Say it again.”
I swallowed hard and then did as he asked. “I love you.” I sunk my teeth into my lower lip as nerves swam inside me. Did he feel the same?
“God, I’m a lucky man.” He slowly brought his arm up and cupped my cheek with his palm. “I love you too, sweetheart. So fucking much.”
Those three words penetrated my heart and soul, healing it even more than he already had. Every moment with him seemed to put a little piece of me back together again.
He slid his hand to the back of my neck and gently reeled me in closer until our breaths mingled. I was lost in his gaze, my stomach fluttering with anticipation. I wanted his lips on mine. As if he knew my thoughts he covered my mouth with his own.
It was a tender kiss, sealing the love we had just proclaimed for one another.
When he broke away, he rested his forehead on mine. “So did you mean it when you said you’re taking me home? ”
I pulled back and gave him a goofy grin. “What kind of fiancée would I be if I didn’t?”
He gave me a sexy smirk. “That is true.” Then his face relaxed and his brows rose. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” I nodded without hesitation, no doubt lining my tone. “I want you with me. I want to take care of you.”
His hand slid back to my face, softly caressing my cheek. “That sounds damn good, my little warrior.”
He pressed his lips to mine once again, and I got lost in the kiss until a throat was clearing behind us.
“That is not allowed,” a stern voice came that I knew must be one of the nurses.
“Busted,” Huntley said against my mouth, causing me to giggle.
I knew we had a lot to talk about and it wasn’t going to be easy, but Huntley was worth it. I could get through what was to come.
Because he loved me.
We had a whole audience.
Turning slightly, expecting to find the nurse who’d just scolded us, I found she wasn’t alone. Nope, there she stood, her arms crossed over her chest while Huntley’s mom, Bronson, Lake, Lyric, and Ruby stood behind her, all wearing full blown smirks on their faces.
“Looks like nothing keeps you down,” Bronson teased with a smirk on his face.
Huntley placed his hand on my leg. “Not when I have a beautiful woman to take care of me.”
That was how the next hour went. All our friends that were not at home with kids, coming and going, along with his fireman buddies once they had finished cleaning up the fire that had hurt Huntley and scared the shit out of me.
Before Bronson and Lake left, I looked at my sister and she knew exactly what was going through my mind. Something inside me eased at her next words because I’d been fretting over walking out the door without Huntley.
“I know you have to stay. The kids are fine with us until you two get home.”
After they left, the nurses insisted on administering some pain meds because it was clear that he was hurting and had been stubborn about taking anything.
And then there were three.
Huntley officially introduced me to his mother. It seemed a bit odd since I technically had known her longer than Huntley when she first blew into my life, a force to be reckoned with when I was only seventeen. The way his mother studied me during the exchange put me on edge, but I shook it off and focused on Huntley.
I sat next to his bedside with his hand in mine. His mother stood on the other side and we both watched the man who meant the world to us start to lose the fight to stay awake.
“Sweet…heart,” his words slurred. “You should go home and…rest.”
As I shook my head vigorously, my messy knot on top of my head teetered and began to fall loose. “There is no way I am leaving.” My stubborn voice held no room for argument.
“But—”
I held up my free hand, going into mom mode and stopped whatever was going to come next. “Don’t argue, I’m not leaving.”
His mother chuckled and I could feel her eyes on me as she listened to our exchange. What was she thinking ?
A dopey grin flashed across his handsome face. “My fiancée sure is bossy.”
“Yes I am.” I gave him a stern look. “Now go to sleep.”
The poor guy didn’t get anything else out. He squeezed my hand and his eyes closed as he finally let himself fall into slumber.
Huntley was going to heal. He’d heard that the little girl he’d been carrying that fell from his arms was going to be okay, along with her mother. And he was coming home with me . I could do this. Somehow I could have a relationship.
Because of him.
I felt like I could breathe a bit lighter again.
Until I looked up and into the eyes of his mother.
Dizziness kicked in as my heart began to race.The time had come to address the past between me and the one person who was personally responsible for me being there at that moment.
Alive.
Soft hands cupped my tear-streaked cheeks.
“I can’t believe it’s you,” I choked out. “I mean I knew it was the second I saw you but it’s hard to wrap my head around it.”
Her touch, her voice, even her presence while bewildering due to the circumstances was a soothing balm to my soul.
She had the same effect on me as her son did.
The realization that Huntley was her child was shocking, but in some ways it shouldn’t have been. Both of these amazing people had implanted themselves into my life like others never managed to do and I’d never forgotten my angel. Just as I knew I’d never forget Huntley either.
“Sometimes things are just meant to be.” Val—a name I could finally put with the face of my angel—looked over to Huntley laying in the bed and my gaze followed hers. “You and my son were destined to find each other just like I’d found you.”
I was never giving Huntley up again but what if the extraordinary woman in front of me thought I was not enough for her son? She knew some of my ugly even if it wasn’t every horrid detail. Or what if, after I spilled all the hideous facts about my past, he didn’t want to be with me?
Val softly gave my cheeks that were still cupped in her hands a tiny squeeze. “I can see the wheels of doubt spinning and you need to stop.” She flashed me a stern look just as I had done to Huntley moments before. “My son loves you; he’s been talking about you non-stop for months.”
She dropped her hands and let them fall to her sides but she didn’t take her eyes off me and they, like mine, were glistening with tears.
“Just like I love you, sweet girl. I never for a moment forgot you.”
We stood there staring at one another, both of us with tears still streaming down our cheeks. I took a step closer and she opened her arms. I walked into her embrace and let her hold me. Just as I had that night so long ago on the bridge.
Val held me like a mother would a child, whispering sweet words to calm my trembling body and battered heart. I didn’t know how long we stayed like that, but we were broken apart by the nurse on duty coming back in to check Huntley.
Without waking him, Val said her goodbyes to me, with promises to come back before he was released and also for us to spend more time talking.
Once alone, I turned down the lights and sat back down in the chair closest to the bed. They’d brought in a cot, but I didn’t plan on being that far away from him. I rested my head next to Huntley’s leg as I held his hand, letting out a heavy sigh.
“Hey, sweetheart.” His fingers brushed lightly through my hair that had fallen out of my messy bun.
I must have fallen asleep, but it was a nice way to wake up and I couldn’t help the moan I let out. It felt so good to be touched by him and that was monumental.
“You can’t sleep like that. Come up here with me.”
That time I didn’t argue. I carefully climbed in beside him and snuggled close, careful not to jar his body or bang his ribs. “I shouldn’t be here in this bed; you need your rest.”
“I will rest better knowing you’re here. I don’t want to be without you.”
The worry and vulnerability in his statement were not lost on me. “I promise you won’t have to.”
He leaned over and kissed the top of my head. “Thank God,” he said with relief in his tone.
“You do know we are going to get busted again,” I told him, trying to lighten the mood.
He brushed his hand down my cheek. “Totally worth it.”
We fell asleep in each other's arms.
And did in fact get busted when the nurse showed up again.
But like he said, ‘Totally worth it.’