As I slowly emerge from unconsciousness, I’m so groggy that it takes a long moment for me to process where I am. I’m lying in a hospital bed. There’s a plastic bracelet on my wrist, a thin plastic tube trailing from my hand.
Memories of the accident come back to me in pieces. Flashes of steel and the sound of screeching tires drift through my mind.
God, I’m lucky to be alive.
I keep my eyes shut for another long moment, focusing on my breathing as I try to steady myself.
When I finally open my eyes, I find Aiden at the side of my bed. A surge of emotion and adrenaline shoots through me as I see him, a thousand thoughts swirling through my head.
I open my mouth to speak, but he raises his hand to stop me. Then he leans down slowly and kisses me. I don’t know why, but it’s bittersweet, and I hold my breath, unsure of what’s happening.
When he pulls away, his eyes are bright.
“I’m sorry,” he rasps.
Tears sting my eyes at his words, and at the raw pain in his voice. I blink them away, but more keep coming in their place.
“I didn’t tell anyone,” I say. I feel like a broken record, but I have to keep saying it. “I didn’t tell anyone about the warehouse.”
Aiden’s jaw is tight, but he nods immediately. “I believe you. We’re still trying to figure out exactly what happened, and whether your father was behind it or if it was someone else, but I believe that you didn’t pass information to him. We’ll find out who was responsible and make them pay.”
Anger flashes in his eyes as he speaks, but it’s clear that it’s not directed at me.
I know what he must have felt when he found out about the attack, how afraid he must have been. The brothers are all close. If Connor was in danger, if he almost died, there wouldn’t be any rational thought left in Aiden’s head. I can understand the pain he was in. And I understand what he might have thought, given what he told me about my father.
I still don’t know if Aiden is right about what he suspects my dad of doing, but…
“I had no idea you thought my father killed yours,” I start, swallowing hard. “But if that’s true—if my dad is truly guilty of what you say—then he committed an act of cowardly violence. I won’t support that. I’m on your side.”
Aiden’s eyes widen. His eyes are dark, but it’s not anger or despair in them now. It’s the weight of everything that’s happened between us, the heavy implications of what I just said.
I’ve chosen my side. Chosen my place.
I will no longer be a pawn to anyone, but a queen in my own right.
“Thank you,” Aiden breathes, his voice rough.
My heart feels like it’s breaking and healing all at once. I can’t believe how many things my father kept from me, and it hurts to realize that maybe I never really knew him as well as I thought I did.
But at least I’m not alone.
I close my eyes, letting a few tears leak from beneath my eyelids. It feels like my entire body is melting, all the tension and fear bleeding away. I exhale and tilt my head back into the pillows, letting everything leave me at once. I don’t want the fear or uncertainty anymore. I’m done being scared.
Aiden’s hand rests on my head. He leans over me, kissing the top of my head, his body warm against mine. It feels like a shield.
I want to sink into him, to let his warmth and strength protect me while I rest. Me and the…
My stomach flips.
Suddenly, the rest of the night floods back to me, and I press my hand to my belly. A spark of panic heats within me and I almost shove Aiden away, fingers tight in the sheets.
But as if he’s read my thoughts, his hand slips over mine. I freeze when he holds my hand carefully, lifting it to kiss softly.
“The doctor said the baby is okay.”
A small sob of relief escapes me, and I press my free hand to my mouth. “Oh, thank god.”
I realize I sat up from the pillows in my moment of panic, and my body aches a little in protest, but I don’t lie back down. Aiden holds me where I am, supporting me as I let the tears come again.
