Page 159 of Before I Loved You

I thought I lost the love of my life.

But she’s here, lying beside me, looking like the angel of my dreams.

“Where’s my family?” I ask, looking around the spacious room and seeing their coats and things flung across different chairs.

“Oh.” She wipes her eyes. “Tina took Lucas home to get some sleep, but the rest of them just went to the cafeteria a few minutes before you woke up. They’ll be back any second. They’ve…”

“What?”

She smiles when she says, “They’ve been here for me. I mean, well, they were obviously here for you. But I just felt like they were my…”

“Family?”

Her eyes tear up for an entirely different reason, making me smile.

“They are your family.” I brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

She sniffles, nodding. “The police came by yesterday. But it was mostly just a formality. Ray handled everything with them and stood by my side when they needed to talk to me. They told me that the security cameras captured Greyson forcing me down the hall into the locker room, and then you running in during the game. And the only fingerprints on the gun is Greyson’s. Your coach told the police that he got a call from Greyson’s dad, Mr. Black, right before the game because he wanted to know if Greyson was at the game. He told him he was missing for days and wasn’t responding to any messages.” Her eyes meet mine when she says, “The police will need to speak with you eventually to get your side of things.”

She gently squeezes my hand, her thumb caressing my skin. “Nate, Natalie, Jason, Vanessa, and Glen have been in and out of here the past few days. It’s been really nice having everyone here.” She yawns. And for the first time, I notice the deep, dark circles under her eyes.

“Have you gotten any sleep?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Not much.” Her slender finger points over to the small couch on the opposite side of the room. “Ray insisted that I take that couch as my bed, and I did, but it felt so far away from you. I kept getting up occasionally to ensure you were still breathing.” She slowly rubs her stomach. “You…you saved my life. Our lives.” Looking up at me with a glimmer in her eyes, she says, “Ever since my parents passed…no one…no one has ever loved me or cared for me as much as you have.”

I cup her cheek, bringing our foreheads together. “I would do it all over again, knowing you and our baby are safe.”

She takes a deep breath, her fingers tugging gently on my hospital gown. Her eyes connect with mine, and I find myself getting lost in a deep sea of green.

“Look who finally decided to wake up.”

Kevin’s voice breaks us from the trance. Glancing toward the door, I find my family entering the room with food trays.

My mom quickly scurries over to my free side, dropping her tray on the closest table. “Oh, Paul!” she wails, hugging my head against her shoulder.

I wrap my arm around her back. “I’m okay, Mom. Promise.”

“As much as I want to tell you to never do something like that again, I know why you did.” She looks over at Sarah with a smile, wiping away her tears. “Your father…” She clears her throat before saying, “Your father would be damn proud of the man you’ve become.”

My eyes water as I suck in my lower lip and nod, her words piercing me directly in my aching chest. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Thought we lost you there for a second,” Kevin comments, walking up to the side of the bed with bloodshot eyes.

“You definitely gave us a good scare,” Ray adds, wiping his eyes.

“I’m okay,” I tell them, meaning every word. I’m okay.

Ray grips my shoulder. “Guess we’ll have to take it easy on you for the next few months.”

I let out a deep sigh. “Do I even want to know the expected recovery time?”

“Probably not,” Kevin answers. “But this just means you’ll have more time for video games with me.” He smiles, his eyes watering.

“You know I’ll just kick your ass,” I joke, trying to ease the somber mood.

“You’re delusional. It must be all the pain meds you’re on,” he quips, wiping his face with his arm. “I’m really glad you’re okay, man.”

“We all are,” Mom affirms with watering eyes, wrapping an arm around Kevin and kissing the top of my head, Sarah’s head, and then Ray’s. “We’re a family. A damn strong one, I must say. And there’s nothing we can’t get through without each other.” Her eyes land on Sarah, softening.

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