CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Bryce
Iwake to the pressure of a hand on my shoulder and lift my head off the pillow to see Becca leaning over us.
Us.
I’m on my side, pressed against Leanne’s back. The big spoon to her little one. I don’t remember us shifting into this position in the night, but I know I don’t ever want to leave this spot.
“Hey,” Becca whispers, trying not to wake Leanne, but she stirs in my arms nonetheless. I hold her a little tighter.
I offer Becca a bleary “Hey” in return. The adrenaline of last night caused me to crash hard and it seems it did for Leanne too. “I hope you went home and got some sleep.”
She shakes her head. “I slept in the on-call room. I didn’t want to leave either. I’ve been popping in every couple of hours. But Mom and Dad went home after I updated them that all was well. You two were really out.” Her smile is soft and content. “It looks like you’re all going to be okay.”
I sigh and nod. “There’s still a lot to say, but yeah, I think we will. I hope so at least.” Leanne stirs again and I press a kiss to her hair.
“You will,” Becca says, and the look in her eyes tells me she knows more than she’s letting on. “I’ll let you rest a while longer. I’m going to go home to shower, then I’ll be back to release her in a bit.”
“Thanks, Becca. For everything.” Emotion knots in my throat again. I came so close to losing her, losing them.
“Don’t thank me. It’s why I do this job.” She leans in and kisses my cheek. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
As the door closes behind her, I let my hand trail up and down Leanne’s arm, stopping just above the temporary cast. She shivers and presses into me before turning onto her back, eyes slowly blinking open.
“Hey, blondie, how’re you feeling?” I ask, pushing a piece of wayward hair out of her face.
“Like I got hit by an elk,” she says, straight-faced, and I glare at her. “Too soon?”
“Definitely too soon,” I say. She chuckles and continues to roll until she’s on her side and can lay her head on my biceps.
Her baby bump nudges my stomach and it soothes me further.
“God, I was so afraid I was going to lose you,” I admit, holding her close.
I hate that I can’t smell her shampoo over the antiseptic.
“I’m so sorry I put you through this, Bryce. All of it, I’m so—”
“Shh, Leanne. It was an accident. The most important thing is you’re safe and our baby girl is safe.”
She nods, catching my gaze with hers.
“I love you, Bryce.”
My breath hitches and I stutter out her name, my eyes falling shut.
“No, please look at me,” she says, and I obey her, my body willing to do anything to keep this woman.
“I never should’ve walked away from you.
I let my own insecurities come between us and I’m sorry.
I was on my way to the ranch yesterday to tell you—that I love you, that I trust you never meant to hurt me, that I believe you love me, and that I’m sorry for hurting you too. ”
I coast my thumb over her cheek and steady my breathing. “You don’t need to apologize. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me.”
She shakes her head and then cringes, lifting her hand to her temple.
“Hey, take it easy or they’re going to kick me out of here.” I chuckle, meeting her fingers and smoothing them off her head. I squeeze them between my own. “You love me?”
The words feel incredibly fragile between us, precious and priceless.
“So much. So much it scares me.” Her eyes search mine. “I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you.”
I kiss her fingertips and smile as her words sink into my heart, healing me and making me feel whole, complete, and cherished.
“It scares me too. The way I love you… God, it’s so big, Leanne.
I feel like I can’t contain it.” I take her good hand and press it against my heart and the steady thump thump thump there.
Then I press my free hand to her stomach and feel a different thumping beneath it as my butterfly moves beneath her skin.
“You’re exactly what I never knew I needed.
You make me feel alive. That first night between us, it’s the best thing that’s happened to me in a very long time. ”
“You know,” she whispers as she shifts, trapping our hands between us—our hearts and bodies all connected.
“I think it might be the best thing that ever happened to me too. It brought us together, and it gave us her. I love you, Bryce.” She presses closer so our mouths fuse.
I swear everything inside me bends to envelop her.
Like those words bound us in brand-new ways.
I never thought I’d find love again—never thought I wanted to. I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to love someone and be loved in return after everything I’ve lost.
The kiss continues for what feels like hours, but it could be minutes or maybe days until eventually we fall back into a comfortable sleep, wrapped in each other—content knowing the other person isn’t going anywhere.
When I wake sometime later from our nap, I plant soft kisses along the curve of Leanne’s neck down to her shoulder.
She wriggles against me and I smile into her skin.
I’ve missed her so much. It was only two days without her in my arms, but I missed her in the acute way you only can when another person takes your heart with them when they leave.
She owns my heart now, and I never want to be parted from her again.
Her eyelids flutter and their hazel depths are molten, filled with warmth and love only for me.
I lean in, wanting to feel her lips on mine more than I want air, but then a throat clears nearby and I groan at the distraction.
Leanne’s top leg is sandwiched between mine, and my arms are banded around her, making it difficult to lift up enough to see the door.
When I do, I find Becca watching us. She’s leaning against the frame with her brows raised and a knowing look on her face. My face flushes under her stare.
Then she smiles and says, “Sorry to interrupt, but I figured I should check on my patient.”