Chapter 18 #2
Nova’s eyes fill with tears and that finally has me moving, crutching across the room to her side. “Don’t cry, baby,” I croak out. “Please don’t cry.”
“Oh, she’s okay,” Jules says, her voice kind. “Sometimes we girls cry when we’re happy.” She squeezes Nova’s hand. “This is probably all pretty overwhelming. Just wait until you meet the rest of us. The Barlowes get pretty loud when we’re in a group.”
Nova’s tears don’t seem to be stopping. Jules meets my gaze over her head and I jerk my chin to the door. She nods then bends down again to press a kiss to Nova’s cheek. “I can’t wait to get to know you better,” she murmurs, then leaves the room, squeezing my arm as she passes.
“Hey.” I try to wipe the tears from Nova’s eyes but the mask is in the way. “You’re okay, baby. The doctor said you’re going to be just fine.”
She tries to move the face mask away but I stop her. “You need that. They’ll let you take it off once your numbers look better.” She grasps my wrist and points down to my leg, her eyes wide in question.
“It’s fine.” Even with half her face covered, I can tell she’s giving me a disbelieving expression. I laugh. “Okay, they want to do an X-ray, but I had to make sure you were okay first.”
She starts shaking her head so I put a hand on her cheek to calm her. “Nova, I needed to see you first. You have no idea how scared I was tonight.”
Her eyes fill with tears again and I bring my forehead down to hers.
“We don’t have to talk about it yet,” I murmur, kissing her sooty hair.
“We have plenty of time to talk about everything.” I pull back to look her in the eye.
“The only thing we need to get straight right now is this—you’re not fucking leaving town. ”
She nods in agreement and I sigh in relief. It’s not like I would have let her go—she’d be tied up in the storeroom at the Low Bar before I let her take off—but I’m glad that we’re on the same page.
“One more thing,” I tell her, running my hand up and down her arm as I stare into her eyes. “I love you, Nova King. More than anything.”
She moves the mask before I can stop her. “I love you too,” she croaks out. Her voice sounds awful, raspy and painful, but it’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.
Mac doesn’t make it to the hospital until the next day.
Sawyer, Nick, and Jules—once Nick and Jonah switched places—take turns sitting with Nova while I finally get my leg X-rayed.
My ankle is broken and I’m going to need surgery, but for now they have me in a splint with strict instructions to keep weight off it.
They also tried to give me pain killers but I refused, because the last thing I want is to be out of it right now.
After I sent everyone home, I sit in her room. The nurses said something about visiting hours once, but I pretended not to hear them. I guess they could tell it was pointless, because someone brought me a cot.
I didn’t use it. Instead, I sat at Nova’s bedside and watched while she slept, anger and worry churning in my gut. Someone did this to her, I think on an endless, maddening loop. I could have lost her.
Mac shows up right after breakfast, his expression grim. They finally let Nova take the mask off as long as her oxygen levels stay consistent, but her throat hurts too much for us to really talk.
Still, she manages to rasp out a hello when Mac strides in and shakes her hand, introducing himself. He pulls a chair up to the other side of her bed, eyes never leaving hers. “Nova, I’m sorry it’s taken us so long to meet,” he says. “And I’m sorry for what happened last night.”
She tries to smile. “Not your fault.”
“No, it wasn’t the fault of anyone in this room.” His gaze darts to me and I know we’re not going to like what he has to tell us. “Nova, your uncle was arrested early this morning.”
She gasps, then winces, the sound obviously hurting her throat. I push her tea toward her but she waves me off, eyes locked on Mac. “Did he do this?” She rasps.
“Not himself, but the police have enough evidence to assume it was one of his goons that carried it out.” He sighs. “Not sure they’re going to be able to make it stick. Victor is a slimy motherfucker and he always covers his tracks.”
She closes her eyes. “Do they think…was he trying to hurt me?”
Mac takes her hand, his tone the same gentle, even one that soothed me so many times as a kid.
“This is off the record, okay?” She nods.
“I have a buddy on the force. He got me in to see King early this morning.” Her eyes widen and I bite back a curse, not liking the idea of Mac within twenty feet of that asshole, even if he was locked up at the time.
“He didn’t know you were there. He actually looked…” Mac lets out a bitter chuckle. “He was pretty upset about it, honestly. I think he might actually care about you, Nova.”
She rolls her eyes. “Lucky me.”
Mac grins, still holding her hand. “I made a few things clear to him this morning.” His face grows serious. “I told him that he’s never doing business with anyone in my family ever again. And I told him that included you.”
Nova’s eyes go wide. “I don’t understand.”
His expression doesn’t falter. “You’re one of us, now, Nova. That means every one of us will do whatever it takes to protect you. We’re not going to let your uncle hurt you, do you understand?”
“But I…you…you don’t even know me.”
He shrugs. “Lawson loves you. That’s enough for me.”
Once again, her eyes fill with tears. I fucking hate how much crying she’s done in the last twenty-four hours, but this time, I think they might be happy tears.
“I told him something else,” Mac continues, and I know she’s grateful he didn’t acknowledge her crying.
“I’m not the same desperate, scared dumbass I was when I went to King for help all those years ago.
He might have a network of criminals on his payroll, but I’m hardly on my own.
” He looks over at me, gaze fierce. “I have my brothers. Nick. And a hell of a lot of friends in this town.”
“Including the fire chief and some guys at the station,” I put in for Nova’s benefit.
Mac nods. “I think he’s smart enough to leave us alone, Nova, but if he ever tries anything with you, you come and tell me, okay?”
“I’ll come and tell you,” I mutter. “I don’t need my woman spending time alone with the biggest player in the county.”
Mac chuckles, releasing her hand. “I guess I inherited that title now that you’re off the market, asshole.
” He smiles down at Nova. “All you need to worry about right now is getting better, okay? Jules is already demanding we have a big family dinner when you get released.” She just stares at him, apparently speechless.
He gives her a last smile, claps me on the shoulder, and leaves us.
“Wow,” she whispers after he’s gone. “I…I don’t even know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” And then, because it’s been way too fucking long since I held her, I nudge her over and climb up onto the bed next to her.
It makes my leg hurt like a bitch but it’s all worth in when she snuggles into my arms the same way she did all those nights I had her in my bed.
“That’s what should have happened two months ago,” I tell her, voice thick with regret. “I should have brought you to meet them after that first night. I’m so fucking sorry that I let my fear get in the way. I failed you, Nova.”
“You didn’t.”
I scoff against her hair, inhaling some of the soot.
I can’t wait to get her into a shower. “I did. I wanted to hide with you because I was too much of a coward to talk to my brothers. I promise that will never happen again. I’m putting you first—because you are first, baby.
The first and only woman I’ve ever loved. ”
She looks up at me, eyes shining. “You’re not just saying that because you almost watched me die in a fire?”
I wince and she pats my face. “Sorry, bad joke.”
“I can’t begin to tell you,” I rasp out, “what that felt like. Driving up and seeing how big the fire was. Not knowing if I could get through it to get to you.” I swallow hard.
“Looking through that window into a smoke-filled room and seeing you huddled there, alone.” I choke back a sob. “I was so fucking scared, Nova.”
“I was so scared too,” she whispers. “And mad at myself.”
“Why mad?”
“Because I didn’t tell you that I loved you,” she says, holding me a little tighter. “I was lying there thinking I could die in that room and never get to tell you. Never see you again or feel your arms around me.” She whimpers. “I thought our last conversation was going to be a fight.”
“I have the perfect solution,” I say, my voice thick. “We just never fight ever again.”
She releases a watery laugh but I tilt her face up to look at me. “I mean it, Nova. I want forever with you. I want you in my bed, in my house. I want to take you out in public, wherever we want to go, and I want you with my family.”
“They’ve all been so nice to me.” She sounds like she can’t quite believe it and I feel another stab of guilt. I did that to her. I made her think she wasn’t good enough for them.
I’m going to spend the rest of my life making it up to her. Showing her that she belongs with us. With me.
“Well,” I say, trying to make my voice light. “You’re stuck with us now. Sorry, baby. The Barlowes can be a lot to take.”
She doesn’t answer and unease grows in my belly. “Unless…unless you don’t want to be stuck with them.”
Her head snaps up, eyes wide and scared. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I want—”
“You were planning to leave,” I point out. “I’m gonna go out on a limb and say you’re even more eager to be away from Victor now.” I swallow hard. “I believe Mac when he says your uncle can’t mess with us, but if you’re scared…if you want to start over somewhere, that’s what we’ll do.”
“We?”
I glare at her. “Of course we.”
“But your family. The bar. This is your home, Lawson.”
I press a gentle kiss to her lips. “Nah. You’re my home, Nova.”
She shakes her head, eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want to run. All I’ve ever wanted is to be settled somewhere. To have a home of my own.”
“Then let’s do that together.” I kiss her again. “Let’s make a home together, me and you.”
She releases a shuddering breath. “Okay.”
“Okay you want to stay?” She nods. “Okay you’ll move in with me?” Her eyes go wide and I smile. “Your bed is too small for me. Besides, all your things are already packed.”
She winces. “I really am sorry.”
“No more sorries. We’re together. That’s all that matters.” She smiles and kisses me, gentle and unhurried, like we have all the time in the world to kiss each other. Then she burrows into my chest and I take a deep breath, relishing the feel of her in my arms, where she belongs.
“Lawson?” she whispers.
“Yeah, baby?”
“You’re my home too.”