Page 133 of Hold Me Before You Go

I chewed the inside of my cheek, already knowing the answer. He wouldn’t have wanted that kind of life for me—for us.

“Carrie.”

I quickly wiped the tear from my eye and looked up to where Hayes stood in the corner of the room. “Hm?”

He stepped out of the shadows, holding his phone out, showing me a text thread. “They’re here, sweetheart.”

Another round of pain slammed into me, but I was used to it now. It wouldn’t be long before I was completely numb. I pressed my lips together, biting down on my tongue in an effort not to cry anymore. Instead, I nodded and closed Grayson’s laptop.

Hayes returned my nod, his throat working. “I’ll be…” He cleared his throat. “I’ll be right outside, okay? I won’t let them in until you’re done.”

Despite my best efforts, I felt a tear fall onto my cheek. I gave him another nod. “I’d appreciate that. Thank you, Hayes.”

Pain etched into his features, staring at me for a moment. Then, his eyes dropped as he headed to the door, pausing at the end of the hospital bed. He put his hand on top of the light blue blanket, holding it there for a moment as he whispered something. When he was gone, closing the door behind him with a soft click, my shoulders deflated, and I buried my head in my hands, sobs jerking my body.

Agent Garner was here to officially arrest Grayson.

Slowly, I let my hands fall from my face, and I looked over to the man in the hospital bed. There were multiple IVs in both of his arms, the needles piercing his snake tattoos, but other than that, he looked like my Grayson. My dark, selfless, strong Grayson. His face was relaxed, the mask over his mouth andnose feeding him clean oxygen, a lock of his thick, dark hair hanging down over his forehead.

Sniffling, I set his laptop on the side table and rose from my seat, brushing the hair from his forehead as I leaned over the bed. “Hi, handsome,” I whispered, playing with his hair now as my eyes scanned his face.

He, of course, said nothing.

I doubted he would even wake up in time to say goodbye to me, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that he was here—alive. The man who kidnapped Sarah, Margo, and me had a plan. One that included taking Grayson out first. He’d camped out in my backyard, waiting until I’d left for the bookstore, and when Grayson came out of the office, he took his shot. Multiple of them. Hayes, Michael, and I watched on my security system cameras that Jake had installed the night Grayson killed Leo in horror.

Grayson was shot in the shoulder and twice in the leg. He was also hit a fourth time, but the bullet grazed the side of his head, causing him to fall, and on his way down, his head slammed into the countertop. He’d laid there, bleeding out for some time. When he came to, he crawled into the living room to grab his gun. It took him a while to stand, and I whimpered as I watched him cry out in pain in the recording, but once he was on his feet, he came to me.

He’d lost a lot of blood, and that was what made him lose consciousness on the dock. He also suffered horrible damage to his leg muscles, and it was up in the air whether he would be able to run ever again. He would be able to walk, but pain would be a battle he would have to fight the rest of his life.

Despite all of that, I was still grateful.

He was alive.

We would be okay.

Would we be together?

No.

But my love for him wasn’t going away.

I’d already come up with a plan. I’d visit him every single week, every holiday.

Another tear fell, landing on his cheek. I leaned down, pressing my lips to it. “It’s okay. We’re going to be okay, Grayson,” I murmured, my lips quivering.

I heard muffled voices on the other side of his room door then, causing me to look over my shoulder.

My time was almost up.

Swallowing the glass in my throat, I looked back down at the only man I’d ever loved, soaking in his beauty one more time. Then, I bent down, my lips brushing against his ear. “I’ll always be your sunshine, and you’ll always be my home. I love you, Joseph Grayson. Nothing will ever change that.”

The door burst open, and I shot up, eyes wide with horror as James Garner walked in, more agents filing in behind him. His dark eyes landed on me, then moved to Grayson. His jaw jumped a few times before he softly said, “I’m going to need you to get off the bed, Carrie.”

Behind him, I saw Hayes in the hall, being handcuffed by Michael. We knew this would happen, and Michael already apologized for the part he would have to play in this.

Hayes’ green eyes met mine, and he gave me a single nod.

Be strong.

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