Page 57 of Keeping Her Safe

Would they ever get over their pasts? They had left Florida with nothing but the baggage from their histories, and it had almost destroyed them. Would that get in the way of a future?

Sitting by her bed, he held her hand until the nurse informed him that they had visitors. Reluctantly, he let go of her hand to see her sisters. He would keep his promise not to tell them anything, even though he was sure she had told them herself.

After her family walked in, the nurse informing them of her health, that the bullet had been removed, and that it had done little damage, just a lot of blood loss. She would only be in the hospital for a day or two. Della had insisted that when released, Zephyr was to come to her house. There was no way she should travel any further. Evie argued that her house would be better, and Zachary left them arguing about who would take care of Zephyr after her release. Zachary knew they would have had the same fight over who was going to raise her when she was twelve or seventeen.

Zoey left her sisters and followed him down the hallway. Stopping him, she asked, “We want to see her.”

“No, she’s sleeping now.” He hated to say it, but he wanted Zephyr to know when she had visitors.

“When she wakes up then,” Zoey stated, and he said he would come and get them when Zephyr wanted to see them.

The doctor was in the room when he entered, and Zephyr was awake. He was on his cell phone, and she was watching him talk. Ending the call, the doctor said, “Okay, it is arranged. We will airlift you to the airport, and a private plane will take you to Tampa. Two nurses will travel with you.”

“What?” Zachary demanded.

“Ms. Hart says she wants to go home, and she is willing to pay for it,” the doctor answered as two nurses came in, starting the whirlwind that took them back home.

CHAPTER 22

Once the doctor came back into the room, she requested to be transferred to Tampa ASAP. Since her credit card was in her room, she just handed it to him, and he took care of the rest. The only thing she wanted was to be home, back in her house. After another helicopter ride and a private plane trip, and she was back in hot Florida. An ambulance had picked her up and brought her to a hospital nearby. She had to spend a day or two more before she could get home.

Zachary had been there the entire time. He was not happy with what she had done, but he had let her do the decision-making. Maybe he was changing. Maybe there was a chance of a future with him after all.

After sleeping on and off most of the previous day, Zephyr woke up before the sun came up that morning. Turning, she saw Zachary sitting in a chair next to her bed, holding her hand. A smile tugged at her lips as she watched him. He was still in jeans and a sweater that had her blood on it. Even after almost twenty-four hours in the outfit, he looked good, but maybe a little warm in a sweater.

He must have felt her watching him because his eyes slowly opened. Seeing her smile, he smiled back at her. He leaned towards her and said, “Good morning.”

“Morning,” she answered.

“Feeling better?”

“No, but less tired,” she said truthfully. “What happened, you know, after?”

“After you were shot? Zoey pulled her gun on him until Gabe came in and arrested him,” Zachary explained.

“I didn’t know she had a gun. Why did she have a gun?” she asked in confusion. Zoey didn’t seem the type who would know how to handle a gun. Or even want to.

“Zephyr, she was in the Army, remember? You saw a picture of her in her uniform.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, I forgot. I’m sorry, it was all my fault. I messed up.”

“No, I brought up the past. I know what happens when I do.”

“I don’t blame you for what happened all those years ago. I don’t blame Brian either. It had to happen that way. I needed to be raised by people who didn’t care if I showed up to supper or not. If I slept or not. I wouldn’t be where I am now if someone had thought that I shouldn’t just be writing all the time,” she explained what had come to her while she was with her sisters.

“If I had been raised by Brian or even one of the Harts, they would have had me in therapy to talk about why I turned inward when the times got tough. Why I just wanted to tell my stories. Instead, I was able to turn inward and just write them as they came. It was hard, but it brought me a lot. I would probably just be finishing college now and looking for a job. A job I would never love, a job that was just a job. Instead, I was able to finish what I started over eight years ago. And that story will let me spend the rest of my life how I want. Once I get a new editor.” She smiled a little.

“How do you want to spend it?” he questioned carefully, taking her hand.

Zephyr bit her lip and looked into his brown eyes. “There’s this guy who wants to move in with me, and I think I am going to let him.”

“Are you? Seems sudden.” His smile was gorgeous.

“I know, but I have been in love with him since I saw him on the beach when I was fifteen. He was pretty hot then, and he’s only gotten better,” she admitted.

He ran a hand over her hair. “Sounds pretty serious.”

“When he asks me to marry him, I have to say yes. He told me so.” She smiled from her pillow.

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