Page 112 of Total Shutdown

Another tear slips down her cheek, and this time, she pushes it away.

“Unfortunately, jeans don’t provide the same level of protection, and that’s why he needed stitches. The doctors said without the jacket and helmet, it could’ve been much worse.”

I scrub a hand over my jaw, all my senses stinging as Collins blurs in front of me. “How did he fall?”

Between us, she takes my hands into hers. The warmth of her soft palms is exactly what I’m craving.

“They took a ride around the parking lot. Carter is inexperienced and consequently doesn’t expect drivers who aren’t anticipating bikes. A woman was backing out of a space and didn’t see them. She clipped his back end and knocked them off-balance. Ezra put his hand out first, and the glove did its job, but then his knee hit the asphalt, followed by his head.”

I know the arcade they were at since that’s where a lot of the high school kids hang out. I take Ezra there sometimes, and we play air hockey and shoot a few hoops.

The accident is vivid as I imagine it in my head, but mainly, all I can see is the look on Ezra’s face, along with the terror he must’ve felt.

“He called me just as the ambulance was arriving. He knew you were still on the ice.” She releases one of my hands, cupping my face as her eyes search mine. “At this point, he’s more worried about how much trouble he’s going to be in. He thinks you’re going to yell at him.”

Collins swallows again, though it’s more of a gulp. “I know I’m not his mom, and I have no right to tell you what to do. Hell, he likely wouldn’t have been on that bike if it wasn’t for me being in his life. Butpleasedon’t give him a hard time. Yes, it was the wrong decision to accept the ride; however, insisting on protective gear likely means he’ll be leaving here tomorrow with clear scans and not undergoing some kind of surgery or even being treated for a head injury. I think he’s learned enough lessons today.”

Her tears are flowing freely now, and it breaks my goddamn heart to see her this way.

I bring our joined hands to my lips, kissing across her knuckles. “I never want to hear you utter those words again. You are not to blame for Ezra getting on that bike. Kids sometimes make silly mistakes. Without you, he would’ve been wearing only the jeans and hoodie he’d left the house in earlier. My boy hangs on your every word—he always has. He listened to your warning and made the right call when it really mattered.Because of you.”

My mouth moves from her knuckles to her lips. “He loves you. I love you, and I’m so damn lucky to call you mine. From the second I laid eyes on you at Lloyd’s, I knew you were something special. I could see it beneath the layers you wore. And I was right to trust my gut and pursue you, even when you kept pushing me away. I never want to live another year of my life without you by my side, beside Ezra’s too.”

I press my lips against hers, speaking into her mouth in the hopes that she’ll digest my sincerity. “And I know if Sophie were here right now, she would thank you for being precisely the woman you are.”

A salty sensation trickles into my mouth. Even her tears taste incredible, although I never want to experience them again.

I’ll make it my life’s mission to protect Collins Mackenzie at all costs—at least until I change her name to Bryce, and then I’ll be her keeper for life. And after I’m no longer on this earth, my protective arms will still be around her.

“Don’t cry, Baby Girl,” I plead. “It’s all okay, I promise.”

She shakes her head softly, another tear passing between us. “I don’t think these are tears of sadness, Sawyer. More of realization and relief.” She pauses, swallowing once more. “Because I love him. I love Ezra with my whole heart. I think I have for a while, but I didn’t know how to say it, or maybe I didn’t even recognize that feeling.”

Nothing in her declaration surprises me—I knew she loved my son. I worked it out right about the time my own heart fell for her.

“And the other side of my heart? The one that beats at the same rhythm, but for so many different reasons? That belongs to you. To my boyfriend and the only man I want. I’m as deep with you as you are with me; I know I am—I can feel it. The difference is, I don’t want to deny or hide it anymore. I’m in love with you, and it feels so fucking good.”

There’s nothing but the soft sounds of my boy’s breathing as we stand in front of each other, our bodies glued together.

“Just one last thing though, okay?” she whispers.

“Anything,” I say. And I mean it. I will do anything for her at this point. There are no limits when it comes to my love for this girl.

“You asked me not to be upset, but I’m not the one crying anymore, Sawyer. The last tear was yours.” She swipes at my cheek and smiles, a promise of forever clear in her deep eyes. “So, no more tears, all right? They aren’t needed because we made it. You achieved exactly what you’d set out to do—you caught the girl you’d wanted and made her yours.”

CHAPTERFORTY-ONE

COLLINS

Update: I hate chopped cheese sandwiches.

I never want to look at them again. Never want to make, serve, smell, or taste another one for as long as I live.

“Collins, why don’t you take an early lunch?” A red-faced Ed checks his watch as I balance a tray of empty dishes over to the kitchen. “Brunch was way busier than I’d anticipated, and you’ve barely had time to catch your breath.”

I set the tray down by the sink and walk back over to the counter. Rise Up was packed a half hour ago, but is now almost empty with no one waiting to be served.

“No busier than my usual shift,” I reply, picking up my strawberry shake and taking a sip.

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