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WHEN SHE OPENED HER eyes, Perci knew exactly where she was. And who she was with. She’d smelled him before she’d seen him. She would always recognize that unique scent that was him. It was a mix of antiseptic and sexy male that was just always going to be Nathanial Masterson, MD.
His hair stuck up all over his head, but he was wearing clean clothes. Scrubs. From the thin light coming through the window, it was early morning. “Hey...”
She lifted the hand not attached to the IV and touched his hair. He woke and looked at her.
Perci had no doubt he’d slept in that chair next to her all night. No one would have dared stop him. “What exactly happened?”
“Perci...” He practically breathed her name. “How do you feel?”
“Like Clive Gunderson finally shot me. What happened to him?”
“Clint arrested him, after punching him square in the face. I would have done it myself, but I was more interested in keeping you from bleeding out.”
“What’s the damage?”
He rattled off the extent of the damage. She winced, and not just from his words. She was going to be feeling what happened for a long while. “I’ll recover completely?”
“I’m going to see to it.”
She smiled at the way he said it. If at all humanly possible, she believed he’d do it. Her smile faded. “I was so scared. First that he’d hurt Ivy, or your mom, or Phoebe and Parker when they arrived. I didn’t know what to do so I just went with him. And he could have killed you. I was never so scared in my life until we hit your truck.”
A gentle arm slipped behind her. “I was afraid he’d take you from me before I could tell you how I felt. How much of a fool I’d been. I should have just scooped you up the day my mother hired you for me. Gotten all of this out of the way. Joel would have still met Phoebe. Matt would have still met Pip. Levi and Pan would have still made fools out of each other. But I would have had more days with you. I can’t forget that.”
“I was just as afraid.” She pointed to the water on the bedside table. She’d filled and refilled so many of those carafes. The familiar sight of that light-salmon plastic was oddly reassuring.
This hospital was her safe place, and it had been for a very long time.
Here she’d felt free to let go. To fight when she needed to fight.
To fall in love when it was time to fall in love.
To forget everything that had happened since that night Jay Gunderson had changed everything for all of them.
“I’m tired of being afraid all the time, Nate. I’m not going to be afraid anymore. It’s over. Clive Gunderson will never be able to hurt us ever again. I want to forget about him.”
“If that’s what you want, then I’ll make it happen.”
“Good.” She snaked her free hand around his shoulder and tried to guide him closer. He got the message. Then he was leaning in, kissing her lightly. She pushed him away a minute later. Gently. “I have a few more demands, too.”
“Lay them on me.”
She pulled in as deep a breath as she could without hurting herself. “First. I love you. Second. I’m going to marry you as soon as I can stand up without hurting. Three. We’re keeping Ivy. Four. I believe in big families. Five. I’m going to love you forever, no matter how much you argue.”
He smiled. “I think I’m up to the challenge. And the answer is yes. To all of those.”
When he leaned down to kiss her again, Perci kissed him right back.
Everything was finally over.
Finally the way it should be.
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Coming from Calle J. Brookes & Lost River Lit Publishing, L.L.C.