Page 92 of Under My Skin

“Hey, beautiful,” I whispered. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I just got shot,” she mumbled.

I narrowed my eyes at her. That wasn’t even remotely funny. Not when I’d had her blood all over my hands mere hours ago as I’d fought with everything I had to keep her alive.

“Too soon?” she said with a soft chuckle.

“To say the least,” I sighed. “Fuck, sweetheart. I think I’ve aged twenty years in the past few hours. Please don’teverscare me like that again.”

Dani swallowed hard as a tear started to trail down her cheek, and I reached over to swipe it away, keeping my hand on her face and stroking her cheek with my thumb. Awkwardly, she reached her good hand over to cover it, turning her head to kiss my palm.

“I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not,” she sniffled. “I’m not sorry for trying to protect you. I love you too much to let anything happen to you.”

Fuck.

“Don’t you get it, Dani?” I choked out, my voice thick with the thousand different emotions that were currently warring inside me. “Don’t you get that you’re part of me? That if your heart stopped beating, mine would too? Don’t you understand that you’re my whole fucking world? God, what the hell were you thinking?!”

“I was thinking that you’re part of me too,” she murmured. “I was thinking that I couldn’t watch the other half of my soul die. Not when I could do something about it.”

I blew out a long breath as bone-deep exhaustion set in. I wanted to be mad at her. I wanted to be absolutely fuckingfuriousthat she’d put herself in harm’s way like that. But I couldn’t be. Not when she was lying here in front of me, alive and…well, well-ish. On the mend, at least.

“No more jumping in front of bullets,” was all I could manage as I pinned her with a sharp glare.

She snorted. “Deal.”

“Listen, I need to go pick up Isaac from the hotel. Lina’s had him almost a full twenty-four hours,” I sighed. “And I think we both need to be with him right now. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

Dani nodded, her nostrils flaring a little like she was trying to hold back more tears.

Standing, I leaned down to claim her lips in a soft kiss. “Te amo, hermosa.”I love you, beautiful.

“Te amo también,” she whispered.I love you too.

As I brought my lips back to hers, I sent up a silent prayer of thanks to whatever god was listening for saving her life. Becauseshehad savedmylife. She’d come crashing into it when I wasn’t looking, getting under my skin, turning my whole world upside-down, and making me question everything I thought I knew. Filling an empty space inside me that I hadn’t even known existed and showing me that real strength meant letting myself be vulnerable. I’d had no choice but to love her.

And no matter what else life had in store for us, I’d never stop loving her. Fiercely. Wildly. Passionately. Unashamedly. For the rest of our lives.

EPILOGUE

DANIELA

ALMOST FOUR YEARS LATER

“Doctor Daniela Ramos,”Dean Stiles called.

My chest swelled with a sense of pride and accomplishment I’d never felt before as I walked across the stage and accepted my diploma.

Nothing about medical school had been easy. This degree was the result of countless hours of studying,somany sleepless nights, and a ton of hard work. But it was all worth it. In a few months, I’d be starting my residency and be one step closer to being a board-certified doctor of internal medicine.

And through all of it, I couldn’t have asked for better cheerleaders than Braden and Isaac. They’d been my rocks for the last four years. They’d supported me every step of the way, encouraged me every time I thought I had reached my breaking point, and loved me through every single high and low. Isaac liked to tell me that I was a superhero because I was learning how to save lives.

God, my little man was growing up so fast. I couldn’t believe he’d be starting kindergarten next year. He was the sweetest,most loving kid, and I saw so much of Amara in him. In his smiles. His laughter. His gentle, playful spirit. I’d been so afraid that raising him would be a bittersweet experience, that it would bring me pain every time he did or said something that reminded me of my sister. But as I got the privilege of watching him grow into his own person, I couldn’t feel anything but pure joy. Because he wasn’t a relic or a memory. He was her legacy, the mark she’d left on the world.

The rest of the ceremony flew by in a blur, and as soon as it was over, I went in search of my best friend. My other rock. The girl who had been right here with me through thick and thin, and who had worked just as hard as I had, though our educational paths had diverged a little bit since she’d decided to go into sports medicine.

“Dani!” Morgan squealed.

I spun around to face her with a huge grin on my face, throwing my arms around her. “Morgan! We did it!”

---