Page 58 of Perfect Match
But from too far away, I hear her voice, thin and thready. “I’m here.”
Gio spins, seemingly surprised, but I’m not. She came as soon as she knew I was awake.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, sensing the tension in her.
She steps closer on the other side of Gio. Tears stream down her cheeks before she crumbles over my hand. “I’m sorry … It’s my fault … this happened,” she sobs. “I never … should have dated Brad.”
My squishy brain struggles to make sense of her words.
Brad, the asshole she briefly dated, then later attacked her.
“Brad was behind all this,” Gio clarifies, noticing my confusion. That makes more sense, and now I remember the guy saying something about a photo.
Releasing Gio’s hand, I reach over to cup her head, which is buried in the sheet. “This isn’t on you. This is on that stupid fucking arsehole Brad and his dumb-fuck sidekick.”
Beside me, Gio chuckles. “That’s my girl. And Charli, Tori’s right. You aren’t responsible for their actions.”
Ryan appears behind Charli, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Sweetheart, we made him pay for those actions. Neither of them will be coming back.”
She tilts her head up to him. “I know, but still.” She brushes the tears from her cheeks, visibly trying to pull herself together.
What did Ryan mean … “We made him pay”?
My brows rise, then drop. Even that small movement hurts, pulling on the cuts and bruises on my face and head. But the story behind the look that just passed between Ryan and Gio seems too juicy to skip on by.
“Hang on. Let’s roll back a bit here. What did I miss?”
Ryan glances at Gio again as if seeking permission.
“You know Tori’s not going to let it drop until she’s got the full story,” Gio tells him, with a smile ticking up the corners of his mouth. I love that there’s no question behind his words. He knows me well enough to understand that I need to hear exactly what happened and is confident that I can handle the truth.
Ryan grabs one of the visitor’s chairs pushed up against the wall and pulls it up to one side of the bed, then sits. Charli curls onto his waiting lap. I wish I could do that with Gio. And as if he’s a mind reader, he stands on the other side and carefully eases his big body onto the bed beside me. Curling an arm beneath my pillow so my head remains on its feathery softness, but I’m still in his arms.
Then they begin to tell me how they found me. And I don’t let them skip one detail.
***
“Alone again,” I murmur into Gio’s solid chest. Ryan has finally convinced Charli to go home with him, and Tony and Sadie, who stopped by to see me earlier, have gone too. “I wish I could go home.”
“I’ll feel much better with you being in the hospital tonight, and then tomorrow, I’ll take you home. And when I say home, I mean my home.”
My smile is hidden against his shirt. “Will you stay with me tonight?” I ask in a wobbly voice, not feeling brave enough to be alone.
“I’ve no intention of letting you out of my sight, bella.” His soft lips brush across my forehead, infusing my skin with warmth.
“Thank you.” And with that, I let my eyes drop closed, my racing heart returning to a steadier pace. We talk for a little longer, although it’s more Gio talking and me listening. Barelyable to keep awake, I only pick up snippets as he’s telling me about his brother’s wedding in Vegas.
“Ahhh,” I scream myself awake, beads of sweat dripping down my face.
“Tori? It’s okay, I’m here. You’re safe with me.” Gio’s voice pierces through the panic gripping my body, and the fist hold I have on his shirt eases as he continues to whisper near my ear.
“Sorry,” I mumble on a loud exhale. And I look down, convinced I’ll see my chest wall rise and fall with the erratic thumping of my heart.
“You don’t need to be sorry.” He tips my chin up, the light from the nearby machine casting us in a green glow. His smile is gentle and reassuring. “I love you, Tori, and I promise I’m going to be right here all night, keeping you safe.” A single tear slips down my cheek, and he brushes it away with the pad of his thumb. “And tomorrow night. Then every night after.”
“You promise?”
“Tori, I’m never letting you go again. I can’t breathe without knowing you’re safe. I can’t live without you by my side.”
