part0017

T he continuous beep-beep of the machines jolt me out of my unconscious state. I crack an eye open, wincing as the harsh lighting almost blinds me.

I try to swallow, but my throat is too dry.

My body aches. My head pounds, and my face feels like I’ve gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson.

Movement from beside me, has me cautiously turning my head. It’s then when I see two tearful eyes looking back at me.

Squeezing his eyes shut, a droplet falls to my hand as he brings my knuckles to his mouth. “Thank god.” His voice is coarse as he kisses each finger, resting his cheek against my hand. “I thought I’d lost you.”

I don’t remember how I got here. All I can make out is needing to get away.

“What happened?” I croak, my throat raw and sore.

“You were in an accident,” Nick tells me. His bloodshot eyes full of remorse. “You’d skidded off the road and gone into a tree.”

Oh my god. “Did I hurt anyone?”

He shakes his head. “No. No one else was involved.”

I breathe out a sigh of relief. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I’d hurt someone.

“How long have I been out?”

“Almost a week.”

“You had some pretty bad swelling on your head from the impact. The doctors thought it would be best to put you in an induced coma to let you rest.”

“Has my mom been told?”

Shifting closer, Nick laces our fingers together. “I called her the second I could. She’s here, I just sent her back to the lodge to get some sleep. She’ll be back soon.”

I take him in. He’s in the same clothes he was wearing the day we fought. There’s dried blood smeared on his t-shirt. His eyes are sunken and bloodshot.

He resembles a tired, broken man.

“How long have you been here?”

“Never left.” A weight falls over his face, regret twisting his handsome features. “You’ll never know how sorry I am, baby. Sorry for lying to you about how I feel. Sorry for pushing you away. Sorry for being a complete fucking dick and causing all this, when all I had to do was tell the truth.” He stands and leans over me, gently framing my face. “Sorry for everything. ”

“You didn’t cause this, Nick,” I tell him softly.

He may have crushed my heart, but that doesn’t mean I want him taking the blame for my carelessness.

Nick presses a soft kiss to my lips, and my heart sighs contentedly. “I love you for saying that, but you wouldn’t have run if it wasn’t for me being an asshole.”

Shyly, I look down to our fingers. “Do you?”

Brushing his lips over my knuckles, he smiles. “I’m so fucking in love with you, it’s terrifying. I have been since we met, I just didn’t know it. You knocked me on my ass, baby. You were this sexy little whirlwind who blew into my life and make me rethink every decision I’ve ever made.”

I give him a small smile. “You love me?”

I close my eyes, wanting to bask in those precious words. “Again.”

Towering over me, Nick peppers light kisses over my face, being careful of my cuts and bruises. “I love you. I love you. I love you. So fucking much, Holly Granger.”

“So what happens now?”

“You’re moving in with me.”

My eyes snap to his. “Excuse me?”

“I nearly lost you once, sweetheart. I’m not prepared to spend another second without you.”

“You want to live with me?”

“Fuck yes,” he replies. “I want everything with you. Marriage. Kids. Two dogs and a rabbit. The whole fucking shebang. I want everything.”

“You really want all of those things?”

“Are you being serious? You’re not just telling me what I want to hear because I’m in a hospital bed?”

“Holly, I swear on my fucking life, it’s you who I want. For the rest of my life. And if you give me the chance, I’ll spend every waking minute making it up to you. You will never doubt my love for you again.”

And even though he’d ripped my heart out, I believe him.

I believe he loves me and he’ll never hurt me again.

Well, at least not on purpose.

Carefully, I lift my hand to his face and palm his stubbled cheek. “I’m going to hold you to that.”