Page 109 of A Twisted Arrangement

His brothers have tried to talk to me, but I haven’t been able to do anything but stare at where he disappeared deeper into the hospital.

“You can see him now.” A nurse approaches, wearing a soft smile. “His surgery went really well.”

It feels like I can breathe for the first time since I saw his wound, but I won’t feel relief until I see him myself. I’m up and walking toward her, following through the double doors. She leads us through a labyrinth of halls to where there are rows of rooms lining the hallway.

She points at the furthest one. “He’s in here.”

I hesitate at the threshold, my fist closed so tight my nails dig into my palms.

Bash comes up behind me, giving me a gentle nudge. “You’re blocking the way.”

I don’t understand how he can be so cheerful in this situation, but that doesn’t stop it from dissipating some of my anxiety.

Matthias’s eyes lock on mine the second I step inside. I rush to him, gripping his hand.

“Don’t ever do that to me again.”

“Okay.” His smile is lopsided, and that’s when I notice that his eyes are still glazed over. He hasn’t fully recovered from the anesthesia.

His brothers crowd around us, all talking over each other, but Matthias’ focus is on me.

He rolls his head toward me. “You’re pretty. Do you want to go on a date?”

I choke on a laugh. “We’re married.”

“No way? Really? I must be pretty lucky.”

Nothing prepared me for how adorable he’s acting.

His brothers burst out laughing, filling the space.

“Fuck, I wish I got that on camera.” Bash chuckles. “He’s never living that down.”

A nurse comes in. “I’m going to need all but one of you to leave. This is a hospital.”

Damon approaches the bed and places his hand on Matthias’s shoulder. “We’ll be back in a bit. Stop scaring your wife.”

Matthias grins. “My wife.”

“You are never living this down,” Xander adds before leaving through the open door.

The guys leave, and I sit in a chair as close as I can to his bed, brushing the hair off his face.

His eyes start to droop when he asks, “Do you love me?”

“Yes.” I swipe my thumb along his temple.

His blinks grow long until his eyes close. “I love you too.”

The sensation of fingers raking through my hair pulls me from sleep. I blink my eyes open. “What time is it?”

“Early,” Matthias answers, wincing as he tries to lean over to kiss me.

I close the distance between us and press my mouth to his, pulling back when he tries to deepen it.

“Do you have any idea how scared I was?”

His voice is hoarse when he says, “Yeah, I think I have a pretty good idea. You disappeared.”