Page 152 of I'm Watching You

Kendall shook her head. ‘I was doing my job a little too well. And no, it wasn’t personal, but that kind of media coverage can be hurtful. I see that now.’ An awkward silence settled between them.

That one apology had banished a good bit of her resentment. She managed a soft smile. ‘How’s the shoulder?’

‘Stiff and it really throbs at night. I’ll be in rehab for months.’ Kendall wiggled all ten fingers. ‘But I’m very grateful to have both my hands.’

‘When does rehab start?’

‘Two weeks. The doctors are pretty sure I’ll regain full range of motion.’ She smiled. ‘I’ve heard my physical therapist is the best, but other patients say she can be a bit of a sadist.’

Lindsay nodded grimly. ‘It’s going to be her job to makeyour arm move in directions it doesn’t want to go. I’m sorry it’s going to be so painful.’

She shrugged. ‘The pain doesn’t bother me. It will just feel good to have my life back.’

‘Are you going to take that job at the New York televison station?’

Kendall shook her head. ‘I don’t know. I don’t have to make a decision for a few weeks. By the way, how’s Nicole? I hear she’s back in Richmond.’

Lindsay gave her the recap. Nicole was also moving on with her life. Her bullet wound had been superficial and had not impacted the baby. She’d chosen to carry the child to term but hadn’t ruled out adoption. Her biggest fear was that she could never love Richard’s child.

Nicole had flown back to San Francisco to reclaim her life. With Richard gone she was free to reclaim her old studio and the bank accounts she’d not been able to access. But she’d quickly discovered that the city no longer felt like home. There were simply too many bad memories. So, she had returned to Virginia within weeks and had announced she was reopening her business on the East Coast.

Kendall nodded. ‘She’s welcome to stay with me. I’ve got a huge house to myself.’

‘Thanks, I’ll tell her.’

Later, Nicole had agreed to room with Kendall, knowing she’d not be able to make any firm living arrangements until she decided about the baby.

When Lindsay thought back on all that had happenedshe still felt overwhelmed. But what always brought her down to earth was Zack. ‘I love you, Zack Kier.’

‘I love you, Lindsay O’Neil.’ He kissed her on the forehead. ‘I have something for you in the kitchen.’

‘Please tell me it’s lunch,’ she said, teasing. The appetite that had eluded her this past year was returning. ‘I’m starving.’

He grinned. ‘I’ll grill us some hamburgers in a minute but first I want to give you this.’ He guided her into the kitchen. He reached in the drawer beside the sink and pulled out a small black box.

Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as she accepted the box and cracked it open. Inside was a ring. It was a thick gold band with three small sapphires and two diamonds embedded in it. ‘Wow.’

Zack took the ring from the box and slipped it on her ring finger. It fit perfectly. ‘When we got married, we never bought rings. I thought it was time I gave you a proper wedding band.’

Tears glistened in her eyes. For so many years, she’d felt an emptiness that had cut to her bone. Now, her life and heart felt so full. ‘It’s stunning.’

‘You really like it?’

‘Yes.’

‘I knew you wouldn’t want anything fussy, but I wanted the ring to have some sparkle.’

Emotion tightened her throat. ‘It’s gorgeous.’

He pulled a second ring out of his jeans pocket. ‘I picked up one for me as well.’

Grinning through tears, she took the ring from him and slipped it on his ring finger. His hands were warm, calloused, and already she was imagining them on her naked body. ‘I guess this makes us official.’

He laughed. ‘I want the world to know we’re married.’

She had come so far. There’d been a time when she had feared marriage, even love. And now she embraced them both.

Lindsay’s counseling sessions with her therapist had focused not only on her relationship with Zack but with her uncle, Pete Myers. Police investigations had revealed that Pete had retired from the military twenty years ago and had settled in Richmond. He’d opened his gym and had become a foster father to Jacob Warwick. By all accounts, he had been a model citizen and father to Jacob. What no one realized was that Pete had harbored bitter disappointment and guilt over his estrangement from his sister, Deb, Lindsay’s mother. When Deb had been brutally murdered twelve years ago, Pete’s mental health had suffered a severe blow. Jacob was in the army and there’d been no one to ground Pete.

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