Page 191 of Surfer's Paradise

Rosie.

Curled against him, her head tucked into the crook of his shoulder. Barely breathing. A warm, steady weight against the bandages and the bruises. She was here. In his bed. Her hand resting low over his stomach like she’d claimed the space.

And fuck, maybe she had.

Isaac let his eyes drift shut for a second, just breathing her in. Her scent—warm skin, faint shampoo, paint maybe. Something that always smelled like home.

He shifted, just enough to look at her.

She didn’t stir.

Of course she didn’t. He’d seen how exhausted she was. That look in her eyes when he hit the ground. That look of terror.

He swallowed hard.

She’d held it together until the ambulance.

He hadn’t.

He thought he could hold on forever—power through anything, be the guy who never cracked. But the second they’d strapped him in, the second she disappeared from his sight, everything cracked wide open.

And now she was here. Not just beside him, but pressed into him like she belonged.

He moved his arm, carefully, ignoring the sting in his side, and slid his hand into her hair. Soft. Tangled. Familiar.

She stirred this time. Made a little sound.

“Is this what heaven looks like?” he whispered.

Rosie let out a laugh and nuzzled into him. “Nope. You’re awake.”

“Thank God.”

A long pause. Her breath against his chest.

“You scared the hell out of me,” she said.

Isaac shut his eyes. “I know.”

“I thought—” Her voice caught. “When you went down, I thought that was it.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I know,” she whispered.

Another beat passed. She didn’t move.

He did.

Just a little. Just enough to press his mouth to her forehead. “I love you.”

The words weren’t planned. Weren’t rehearsed. Weren’t even fully formed until they were out of his mouth.

But there they were.

Simple. Brutal. True.

Rosie didn’t say anything right away. She lifted her head instead, looking at him through the dark.

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