I ran my hand over the enormous knot that was protruding from the back of my head. “I can’t believe he did that.”
“I can’t believe you pushed him like you did.”
“I needed to get proof.”
“Fuck, Devin. I told you I’d handle it.”
“I know, and I should’ve listened. Maybe then, the kids wouldn’t be scarred forever.”
“They’ll be fine.”
“But…”
“They will be fine, and you will be, too.”
Emotion washed over me, and when Jameson noticed I was suddenly on the verge of tears, he said, “Alright, that’s enough for tonight. You need to get some rest.”
“I hate all of this so much.”
“I do, too, but we’ll get through it. You’ll see.”
Jameson leaned forward and pressed his lips to my forehead, letting them linger there for a moment. I closed my eyes and let his warmth engulf me. After a few seconds, I looked up at him and said, “You know when you’re driving out on the interstate and it’s raining really hard, and it’s hard to see and loud, and then you go under a bridge and everything goes silent.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re my bridge. You always have been.”
“Damn, woman. You trying to gut me over here?”
“Just trying to tell you what you mean to me.”
“Love you, too, babe.” He cocked his brow. “Even when you almost get yourself killed.”
“Just trying to keep things interesting.”
“You definitely do that.”
“You do, too.” I eased down on the bed and tried my best to avoid the knot on my head as I curled into my pillow. I let outa little yawn as I whispered, “Thank you for looking out for the kids.”
“I’d never let anything happen to them.” He leaned back, giving me that small, crooked smile I loved so much. “Now rest, baby. I’ve got you.”
I closed my eyes, and I didn’t even fight it. I let my exhaustion take over, and I fell fast asleep. And I did it knowing that Jameson would be there looking out for me.
23
CREED
There is nothing quite like sleeping in a hospital chair, especially when you’re six-four and there’s nowhere to put your long-ass legs. It was like Chinese torture, but I didn’t fucking care. There was no way in hell I was leaving Devin. So, I white-knuckled it, and after a few long hours, I was finally able to drift off.
The next morning, the doctor came in early, and after a thorough examination, he decided to discharge Devin. He and the nurse stepped out to grab the paperwork, and the door hadn’t had a chance to close before Preacher and Grim walked in.
“Morning.”
“Morning.” I stood as I said, “I was just about to call.”
“Beat you to it.” Preacher gave me that look that let me know he didn’t want to be here any more than I did, but he came anyway. That was the thing about him. He was always there when you needed him. “How you two making it?”
“Hanging in.”
