Page 77 of The Bossy Billionaire

“What about you?” My eyes roam over her again.

“Fracture in my wrist, bump on the head, scrapes and bruises, but otherwise okay.” It should make me happy, but it doesn’t. I don’t want her to get hurt at all. I look around the room before I look back at her.

“Your leg?” I ask her again.

“It is okay. Sore, obviously. I have pushed my surgery back just a few weeks until you are recovered because I need a nurse for when I come out. I need you in tip-top condition,” she says with a wink, her smile small.

“I will be the best damn nurse you’ve ever had,” I tell her, already happy to be at her beck and call when she is recovering and glad that this hasn’t stopped her from progressing with her leg surgery.

“Are you okay? With being here?” I know being back in this hospital must be traumatic for her.

“You’re here. I wasn’t going to not be here when you woke up,” she says, swallowing roughly. “You came to Bloomers. At midnight. To tell me you love me.”

“I do remember that. I also remember you loving me right back?” After last night, she might have changed her mind.

“I do,” she says, holding my hand tight.

“They are good words, and I look forward to hearing them again.” I smirk at her.

“What?” she asks, her brow crumpled.

“I do,” I say, and her eyes widen. “Because I want us together forever. So Lucy, will you marry me?” I ask her and hold my breath.

“Married?” She giggles. “Is that the morphine talking?” She thinks I am joking.

“Yep. Me and you. White dress, matching rings. Maybe a chamomile posy or two,” I tell her.

“Are you serious?” The look on her face tells me I am making the right decision.

“I have never been more serious in my entire life. I have already asked Harrison. I am getting the ranch ready. The chamomile field is getting a wedding makeover as we speak,” I tell her, hoping that is, in fact, still happening while I am in here. I need to pause and take a breath, feeling a bit lightheaded.

“Bossy much?” She pours a small glass of water and helps me to take a small sip.

“With you. Always,” I tell her, watching her smile grow for me. “I need you more than anything else I have ever needed in my life. And I am going to spend the rest of my life proving that to you. I love you more than anything. Tell me you will be my wife,” I ask her again, my breath stopping, waiting for her answer.

Her face is still for a moment as she looks at me, knowing how serious I am.

“I couldn’t imagine life without you. Yes, Huxley. Yes, I will marry you.”

EPILOGUE - LUCY

“Hmmmm,” I try my voice, my mouth dry, my throat a little scratchy.

“Here, have some water,” Huxley says from next to me, already helping me sit up and putting the cup to my lips. I sip the cool liquid as I start to come around.

“How did it go?” I ask, almost scared to know. It has been months since the hit and run. The weeks afterward were hard. Huxley’s ribs took a little while to heal; the media surrounded the shop for days, and while Terry, Amy, and Dwayne are still awaiting sentencing, the ongoing legal dramas have been exhausting. But this is what I feared the most.

“Doctor said it all went well. Textbook. It took about an hour and a few days of bed rest, then some physio, and you will be as good as gold,” Huxley says, smiling down at me.

I had the procedure to adjust my thigh muscle. The pain I felt in my leg after the hit and run amplified, and there was no way I could have continued how I was. After another consultation, I confirmed the booking.

“So now you will be able to run with me in the Baltimore Running Festival,” Harrison says, and my eyes flick over to see him perched on a chair nearby.

“I’m not so sure about that,” I tell him. His campaign has grown from strength to strength. There are still a few months left, but all polls show him as a clear winner.

“I bet she would beat you anyway,” Beth says, smiling.

“No doubt,” Huxley agrees, smiling at me.

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