Page 23 of Make You Mine

It’s the strangest feeling I never expected as a doctor. Growing up, I was always a compassionate person and had a drive to help others. Now I couldn’t give two fucks about this asshole. All I care about is getting a glimpse of Ashley.

“Oh, and Nico called me earlier.”

That stops me in my tracks. I turn around as my brother continues. “He and Micah are going to sit down within the next week. I think Micah wants all-in at this point.”

He and my brother met through a mutual friend, and unbeknownst to them, their siblings were in love with each other. When Micah found out about Ashley and me, he took pity onme as the poor sap in love with his sister promised to another man. His main priority is Ashley, and that’s the reason he will always have my respect.

Micah was actually the one who went to my brother and told him to pull me into The Saints for my own protection. At the time, he was worried Gio was suspicious about Ashley seeing someone who wasn’t Junior. Come to find out, it was her father who was having us followed. He was the one who sent me the picture of her engagement. I now know their father couldn’t overpower Gio, so instead, he did what he thought he had to do to protect himself and his family, including Ashley. Of course, Micah didn’t tell me this until after I had moved to Europe. Not sure if it would have changed anything, but regardless, I needed to do it for her.

He had told me The Saints was my best chance at ever having the power to get Ashley back, but I had to swear never to interfere unless I had a damn good plan. One that wouldn’t put her in harm's way. Micah knows the history between Nico and his brother even more so than I do. He has a lot of respect for Nico, but he has always made it clear his loyalty lies with the mafia. As long as Ashley is safe, his hands are tied. However, when his father was murdered, that changed everything, which is why he helped us the night of the gala. His desire for the truth benefitted Nico’s motives and my chances of getting Ashley out of there.

If that’s even what she wants.

“Do you feel comfortable flushing the antibiotic when it's finished and disconnecting the tubing?” I ask Rebecca, the woman Junior apparently assigned to stay with Vito.

When I first got here, his fever was 102.5, so I ran some acetaminophen to bring it down over fifteen minutes. Then I showed Rebecca how to flush the line before reconnecting it to his antibiotics, which I have set to run over four hours.

She confidently nods. Since she seems like a nice woman, I have to bite my tongue to ask if she knows Ashley. Maybe she’s an ally to her within the dark walls of this home.

“Great, and I’ll be back tomorrow to give him another dose. We will update Mr. Santini, but the plan is for Vito to get the antibiotic every twenty-four hours for three days, at least.”

“Thank you, and do I continue giving him the pain medication every four hours?”

I nod. “I would, for the time being, while he is still healing.”

I wish it was Junior lying in this bed right now, at my mercy.

She opens the door, letting me out. “Can I make you a cup of coffee before you go?”

Not wanting her to walk me to the door just yet before I find a way to wander toward Ashley’s room, I agree to her offer.

I hear the low hum of her voice before I see her, the familiar words from Ashley’s lips taking me back to a different time.

A melancholy feeling washes over me, and I smile, watching Ashley dance barefoot in the sand to Lana del Ray’s “Young and Beautiful.”

How can I already miss this moment when it’s not even over yet?

The weight of this likely being our last trip to Nori Beach has hit me hard. But I signed up willingly for this reality. Even when she tried to warn me away.

“You’ll still love me even when I’m old and gray, right, baby?” she asks, pulling me up from where I'm sitting on the dropdown tailgate of my Jeep Wrangler.

The ache in my chest grows from dull to sharp at her question.

I lean down, kissing her forehead as we sway back and forth. “I’ll love you till my last breath.”

The smile slips from her face, and emotion clouds her beautiful blue eyes.

“I’ll love you even after that…” She places a kiss on my sun-kissed chest and whispers, “Maybe we will be reunited in heaven.”

At nineteen years old, her words have me wishing for the afterlife in a way I never thought I would.

“When I picture my heaven, you’re there.” I swallow, my throat thick with the turmoil running through my body. “But I want you to live your life here. I want you to be happy and safe, no matter what that looks like.”

She buries her head into my chest, holding me so tight her nails dig into my back.

A few moments later, she speaks again, barely above a whisper. “I’ll love you for eternity. I know there is so much out of our control, but one thing I do know is, I’ll always love you. Any time you think of me, just know I’m thinking of you.”

I hold her, staring up at the sky for answers, wishing there was something I could do to stop this.

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