Maybe it all would, and he could go home. “You should probably go home,” William said when he could manage words again without wincing.

“I don’t want to leave you.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” He reached for her, sliding his undamaged hand along her arm, up to her shoulder. He pulled her down to him and kissed her. Sweet lips on his. He closed his eyes to savour them.

“I was so scared,” Rosie said against his lips, “When they called me. I thought something worse. I thought …”

“It takes more than a car to get rid of me.”

“It could have been worse.”

“Yes, but it wasn’t.” He found her hand, laced her fingers with his. She tucked her hair behind her ears to stop it falling down onto his face. Not that he minded. “You’re the most important thing in the world to me. You know that, right?”

“You are to me too. That’s why--”

“That’s why it’d take more than a car to the side to take me away from you.” Then he remembered. “And the baby.”

Rosie smiled. She kissed him.

“We’ve got everything ahead of us, Rosie. When I get out of here. We do things differently.” He tilted his head so he could look her right in the eyes. “We start again and do this the way we need it.”

Rosie stroked his face. “I’d like that,” she said, “I’d like that a lot.”

“You don’t understand,” he said, “I mean you and me. You, me and the baby. I’m going to talk to Mark. See what help my mother can get. She’s lived her life. I need to make it so I can live mine.”

“You said …”

“I said a lot. I love you, Rosie. We’re going to do this right.”

She smiled against his mouth. He felt the way her lips firmed and curved. “Say it again.”

“What? We’re going to do this right?”

“No,” a pause. She bit her lip. “The part where you said you loved me.”

His heart trembled with those three words, but he did it. He said it again, “I love you.”