Page 65 of Promised Vows

Ari wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my neck. I hugged him around the chest and pressed my cheek against his. “Are you okay?” I asked.

“As long as you’re okay, I’m okay.”

The ding of the elevator caught our attention and Ari untangled himself from me. If I had to guess, someone had figured a work around for whatever tech my father had used to disable the elevators. Ari strode to the door and unlocked it. When it opened, paramedics were waiting at the door.

My head swam as the adrenaline began to fade. With everything that had happened, my ability to process was done. It was increasingly more difficult to breathe. Spots danced on the edge of my vision, and the last thing I saw was the floor racing to meet me.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

ANNA

Ari’s chest rose and fell evenly. A hospital was where he’d belonged after he was ambushed. This time, he was given no choice. A hospital gown draped across his middle and his legs were tangled in the sheets. Since arriving, he had been asleep.

When I’d first woken up, I was still in my torn wedding dress, and nothing less than an industrial scrub down would have worked to get all the ick off of me. I never thought I’d say it but thank God for Thea. When she’d shown up with comfortable sweats and shoes, I’d never been happier to see her. That wasn’t even a mild joke. I hugged her. I didn’t even wait for permission. I bawled like a baby while I did it. And she let me. That was an act of kindness I’d never forget.

She was the one who told me Ari had passed out on his way to the hospital. He’d tried to play it off, but I’d known. I’d heard the sickening crunch when my father hit him. I’d also learned from her that Lucas had made a sizable donation to the hospital, and we were currently the only people on the floor of this wing. I didn’t ask how sizable it was. I appreciated the fact that he’d been kind enough to do that.

Once I was done cleaning up, I checked on Ari first, found him asleep, and then went in search of news about my brother. Last I’d checked, Jason was still in recovery after surgery. He’d torn a muscle in his shoulder, and it needed repair. He would be okay, but he’d be in a considerable amount of pain for a while, and months of physical therapy was in his future.

Cora was a wreck. She’d said she wasn’t in love with him, but her actions said otherwise. With all that was going on, I wondered if Jason knew. If he cared for her the same way or if he’d pushed her away much like he pushed me away. Maybe now that our father was gone, Jason would be free. He could rid the family of those sick enough to follow Papa.

There was a chance I was still in shock. I hadn’t had the opportunity to miss him yet, and I wasn’t sure how I’d react when it finally happened. It would. I knew it would because that was human nature. We want and don’t want at the same time and get frustrated when we’re doing one or the other when we think we aren’t supposed to. Emotions and feelings were never easy to begin with, and adding a layer of dysfunction didn’t help.

A quick jerk from Ari had me crawling into bed next to him. I didn’t want to hurt him, but if he continued thrashing, he’d hurt himself even worse. I’d noticed those first few nights after being with him that he didn’t find restful sleep, unless he was holding me. It made me wonder if I was the tether he needed to remind himself that the bad thing was over. It was a guess, but either way, I loved that he slept soundly when I was in his embrace.

I kissed his cheek and lightly skated the back of my hand along his bruised jaw. He’d never looked more beautiful to me. I loved him. I loved him with all of my heart and soul.

“Hey,” he murmured. “Hibiscus and vanilla.” His eyes opened.

“Hospital generic.” I smiled.

“That scent seems to cling to you. I think your pores are infused with it.”

I combed my fingers through that thick dark mane of his. “How are you feeling? Other than beaten.”

“A little sore.”

A little? “Right.”

He took a big breath. “I hate hospitals.” He pulled the heart monitor plug from the outlet and yanked the finger cuff off. “I feel like I have lead weights covering me.”

“They gave you something for pain.” I carefully reached across the bed to the table sitting next to it and grabbed the cup filled with water. “Here, you need some water.”

He greedily drank it and three more before he pushed it away. “Thanks.” His sleepy eyes locked onto mine. “So, about the wedding.” He tried to laugh and grunted.

“How about you rest right now, and we talk tomorrow.”

“Will you stay with me?” His eyes slid closed. “Please.”

I cuddled next to him. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“It’s only been a few days, Ari. Relax.” How could someone one level below Grandmaster in Brazilian jujitsu be such a big baby? I’d barely made it into his hospital room when he started complaining. Good grief.

He groaned. “I’m fine.”

“You have broken ribs. Your body has a world map of bruises. That’s not fine.”

“I’ll be fine, okay? I want to go home.”

---