Page 97 of Whatever You Want

“He’s not ever going to hurt you again,” I said as if I needed the confirmation myself.

She tried to lift her head off the pillow but groaned. “Everything hurts.”

“Damn it, Ava.” I pressed the call button for the nurse. “You have to lie still. You have a concussion and a few broken bones.”

Her face winced. “I’m okay.” She licked her dry lips. “Just a little sore.”

My knuckles skimmed over her cheeks. “I think I had ten years taken off my life when I got the call from Marco.”

She brought my hand to her lips and pressed her mouth against my skin. “I’m sorry.” Her touch helped calm the rage flowing inside me. “I’m sorry about what I said to you, and more importantly, what I didn’t say.”

“Ava.” I paused, trying not to show how angry I was, not at her, but at what happened. That was the last thing she needed to deal with. “We can talk about all that later.”

The same nurse from earlier came in. “Hello, it’s good to see you are awake.” She rounded the foot of the bed so she could push a few buttons on the monitor. “Your vitals look great. How do you feel?”

“I feel fine.” I glared at her, and she winced. “My shoulder and my neck are just a little sore.”

My eyes went to the handprint on her neck, and I clenched my fists a couple times. I had to look away to get a hold of myself.

She handed Ava a little paper cup with pills in it. “Here, these should help.” The nurse wrote a few things down on the whiteboard on the wall while another nurse replaced an IV bag. “Dr. Fatime will be in shortly.” She gathered up a few supplies, and they both walked out of the room.

I pushed her hair back off her shoulder. “I can’t even imagine how scared you must have been. I should have been there. I should have protected you.”

She reached out, placing her hand over my wrist. “I need to tell you something before these pain meds kick in. I don’t ever want you to feel like you are second best. I don’t ever want you to question my feelings for you again. I love you, Logan Blake. I’m sorry that this is the first time you are hearing these words.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I know you’ve been waiting to hear me say them, but they don’t seem like enough right now.” She shook her head. “When I thought I was going to die, my last thought was that I never got to tell you that I loved you. If you give me another chance, I’ll never give you another reason to doubt my feelings for you again.”

“You don’t need to even ask me for another chance, because I’m already yours.” I cupped her face and pressed my lips to hers. “I love you too, and I should have been honest with you from the start.”

“A life with you is the only one I want, but you have to promise me something.”

Her eyes slid shut as I ran my finger along her jawline. “Anything.”

She linked her fingers with mine. “If you develop symptoms or if the doctor sees something that causes concern, you’ll tell me.”

This woman was just waking up in a hospital bed after being beaten by her stepfather, and she was worried about me. If I had a ring in my pocket, I’d slip it on her finger right now.

“You can come to every appointment,” I promised her. “I’ll give you access to all my medical files. I’ll give you whatever you want.”

“I only want you, and I know you’ll do whatever you can to stay healthy.”

“Damn straight. Especially when I have you and the girls to live for.”

“Do my mom and Madison know what happened?”

I folded the thin blanket around her. “Amelia spoke to your mom a little while ago.” I cleared my throat. “She booked them a flight out of Orlando for tomorrow afternoon. Madison doesn’t know that you’re in the hospital.”

“Thank God.” She sighed. “Although I’m not sure how I’m going to cover up these bruises. I must look awful.”

I planted a kiss on her temple. “You look beautiful.”

“I need to call my mom. Regardless of what happened with Richard, he was her husband.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “She was a little emotional, but she was more worried about you.”

“You talked to her?”

“Briefly.” My eyes watched hers. “She’s in shock, and feeling a little guilty.”

“She can’t possibly think this is her fault?”

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