Page 116 of Everlasting Promises

There was nothing I could do. I was too far away and too inept to protect him. He was so fearless, so mighty, as he went after the perpetrator like the hero he is.

Shoving my fingers roughly through my hair, I tug hard on the strands, causing pain, hoping it will distract me from the devastation ripping me apart, but it barely scratches the surface.

The graze from the bullet on the side of my neck burns and aches, but it’s nothing compared to the ache that’s shattered my soul. The paramedics wanted to check me over, but it was more important to get Rex the help he needed. I didn’t care about myself; getting him to the vet was my only priority.

The fluorescent lights buzz overhead, the smell of antiseptic fills my nose, and I shift on my numb ass. Exhaustion tries todrag me into its depths, but I can’t give in. I need to fight … to be here. For Rex. I refuse to let him down a second time today.

I shake my head and squeeze my eyes closed, dropping my head between my shoulders. I try to draw in a deep breath and shut everything out so I can focus on my best friend. He’s been privy to my deepest confessions, some of my darkest nights, and my heartbreak. He’s been my salvation. My best friend. The best work partner a guy could ask for.

Soft, familiar fingers slide into my hair, and I look up into the most gorgeous sea-colored eyes I’ve ever seen. Without words, she drops to her knees and pushes her way between my legs, draping herself around me despite the blood covering my uniform and flesh.

My heart stutters and stops before taking off at a gallop, and I swallow the earthquake of emotions that want to break free. I wrap my weary arms around her, soaking up her warmth and silent comfort.

A sob drags my attention to the left, and I lift my gaze to find Evan with bloodshot eyes and tears pouring down his cheeks. I grip his slender wrist and tug him down to join me and Hope on the floor. Then, I wrap my arm around him and pull him in tight. His body shudders against mine, and it takes everything inside of me not to fall apart with him.

With the three of us huddled on the cold floor of the vet clinic, my loneliness dissipates. A surge of energy, a second wind of sorts, slides through my body. “How did you guys know where we were?” I murmur into Hope’s soft hair.

“Nix made some calls, and Shane dropped us off because I was in no state to drive.” She sucks in a sharp breath, her bottom lip wobbling, tearing the remnants of my heart to pieces. “A-at first”—she swallows, tears shimmering in her gorgeous eyes, adding an ethereal quality to the pools of blue/green, her lips quivering with broken pain—“w-we thought it was you. Wethought you’d been shot, but Nix … he made some calls … he has a friend on the force, and he found out you were okay, but Rex … wasn’t.”

Heartbreak is etched into every movement of her lips, every word … every shuddering breath she takes. I can’t fathom the pain she suffered—the utter heartbreak, and yet she’s here. Beside me. Offering her love and comfort.

She’s so fucking strong.

She thought she lost me today, but here she is, beside me, supporting me.

Fissures form across my heart, splintering outward. I’ve hurt her in the worst possible way—something I never wanted to do. My career causes her pain and distress, which means I need to leave it behind, just like Seb and I discussed.

He was right. If I want to build a life with Hope and Evan, it’s unfair for me to work in a job that will cause them distress every time I leave for work.

Especially after today.

They’ll always worry and I don’t want to put either of them through that. They’ve experienced enough tragedy and only deserve peace and calm. They deserve to know they come first and that I love them enough to remove any unnecessary risk from our lives.

“I’m never leaving you. Either of you.” I declare, then drop a kiss to the top of her head, then I do the same with Evan. “I promise you with everything I am. My promise iseverlasting.”

Evan drags his tear-stained face from my shoulder, anguish painting his boyish features. He shouldn’t have to feel this kind of pain. Not after everything he’s already lost. “I-I don’t wanna say goodbye to Rex. I l-love him so much.” A sob explodes over his lips, and his body shudders.

I tug him back in and kiss the top of his head. “He’s in expert hands here.” I swallow past the sawdust on my tongue, hoping I’m not lying to him. “We won’t have to say goodbye.”

Both he and Hope jolt back. “You mean …” Hope murmurs.

“He’s not dead?” Evan shouts.

I shake my head, my heart thundering in my chest, my blood rushing through my veins. “No. He’s in a bad way. The perpetrator shot his shoulder, and he lost a lot of blood because he got straight back up and continued his pursuit until he took the gunman down. He’s done a lot of damage. The vet is going to do her best, but it’s a long, complicated surgery, and she can’t promise anything.” I run my hand through my hair in agitation. “We need to stay positive.”

Evan and Hope both breathe a relieved sigh, the tension in their shoulders falling away. “That’s better news than I thought we’d hear.” Hope looks at Evan. “We can stay positive, right, Ev?”

He nods like a bobble doll, his eyes wide like saucers and filled with hope. If the situation wasn’t so dire, I’d laugh. “Definitely!” He looks around us, then back at me. “Why are we sitting on the floor?”

I chuckle darkly, scrub my hands tiredly down my face, then look at the boy who’s become a son to me. “I was feeling pretty low, and this felt like an appropriate place to be.”

He climbs to his feet and yanks on my arm. “We’re here now. We’ve got you.”

Warmth moves through my chest and radiates out through my body like sunlight, and gratitude for my small family fills my soul. Hope pulls away, grabbing my other arm, and together they tug me to my feet, then guide me to a chair. Bone-weary exhaustion floods my body like a tsunami as the adrenaline drains from my system, and I collapse into the plastic chair. Everything aches and I feel eighty-seven, not twenty-seven.

Evan and Hope sit on either side of me, taking my hand in each of theirs. Hope drops her head to my shoulder, and Evan’s eyes take in our surroundings. “How come you didn’t take him to see Tori?”

“I wish I could. Whenever he’s injured or sick, I have to bring him here because this is the clinic approved by the police force.”

---