Page 140 of All Our Secrets

“Around eighteen hours.”

“Why are you freaking out? That’s not long at all.”

“It was for me!”

He winced at my raised voice. His head was probably pounding, and my yelling wasn’t helping. Shame churned in my stomach.

I caressed his shoulder and leaned over him. “Sorry.” Then I remembered what he’d said when he first woke and pulled back. “But what did you mean? You do realize Roxanne was talking about Becky, right? She tried to stay here last night—Why are you smiling? I don’t want Becky here—or anywhere around you.”

“Aww. You feeling possessive?”

I’d never seen the grump wear such a big grin before.

“Silas,” I moaned.

“I’m yours. You’re mine. It’s about time we let her know. Along with every other fucking person who has something to say about us.” He paused. “We don’t give a damn, right?”

So much want, love, desperation, and happiness rushed through me. Every burden, all my guilty thoughts, were out in the open. “Right.” I recalled the silhouette hovering near the ambulance just before the doors shut. The EMT saying weird things to me like he was someone else. Someone who knew me by name. Pushing Silas’s hair off his forehead, I studied the stitches at his hairline. “It was Theo, wasn’t it?”

Silas sighed. “I’m sorry. Because of me—”

“No.” I kissed his cheek. “Look at the messwe’vemade. All these mistakes. Theodore and Becky. All because you couldn’t tell me who you were, and I didn’t have the strength to call you out on it, even though…”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“I forgive you.”

He smiled as he closed his eyes.

I frowned. “How bad does your head hurt?”

“Fucking bad.”

“You need to sleep it off.”

The door creaked. “King?”

I stiffened as Becky entered, which made Silas grin, but he concealed it quickly with a pained grunt. “Baby, didn’t I tell you I didn’t want any visitors?”

Oh, oh okay.We were being this couple. I was totally down.

It was hard to keep the smile off my face when my stomach buzzed with happiness. “I tried, but apparently, I don’t have the authority because we’re not married.”

“Mm. Don’t worry I’ll change that soon.”

My heart quickened when he squeezed my hand and looked into my eyes. He hadn’t spoken those words just to prove a point to Becky. He meant them. Silas was ready forourfuture. And so was I. Considering my late husband, as a ghost, had helped me get to Silas, I believed Theodore had heard my darkest thoughts. The guilt wasn’t a storm cloud hanging over my head any longer. I wanted to live the rest of my days with Silas. Regardless of whether Theodore had heard me, I’d found peace in telling him my truth.

That Theodore had beenhere, with T.J. and me, was unsettling. A ghost. If I hadn’t seen or experienced so much, I wouldn’t believe it. Worst of all, the mistakes Silas and I had made had almost cost a life. Silas’s.

Losing him would beunbearable.The last few years had been painful enough.

“I’ve been up all night worrying.” Becky pulled me out of my thoughts. “And I didn’t feel welcome last night.” I rolled my eyes as Becky went on, “Can you understand why I would want to be here to check on you?”

“No,” Silas said. “We haven’t been together in over a year. I’m with someone. And you’ve already shown me that you’ll say anything to Peyton—lie about me, even—if you think it will keep her from being with me.” His glare was chilling. “That shit won’t fly with me. No one. Fuckingno onewill keep me away from her.”

“King, I—”

“Stop,” Silas interrupted her. “You shouldn’t be here. We have no reason to see each other outside of FCR. And even at the clubhouse, I’d rather we didn’t speak.”

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