Page 25 of Bodyguard Crush
I let out a long breath of relief. “Can I see him?”
He nods. “The moment we get him into a room, we’ll let you know.”
I nod. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I cry out, tears of relief overfilling my eyes and running down my cheeks.
He nods and looks at the nurse. “Mary, he’ll be on the third floor if you want to go ahead and take her up.”
The nurse who’s been with me this whole time nods. She wraps her arms around my shoulders and leads me up to the third floor. I’m standing in the hallway when they roll his sleeping form into his room. The lights are dim, and it’s quiet. I sit beside him on the bed, holding his hand and just waiting for him to wake up.
I must fall asleep because I’m being awoken by another nurse. “I’m sorry, miss, but the police are here to speak with you.”
I nod and shake off the sleep as I stand and walk out into the hallway.
“Ms. Phillips, I’m pleased to inform you that we have caught the guy who’s been giving you so many problems. Your bodyguard there shot him. He was able to get away, but he collapsed soon after he got off your grounds. Someone found him passed out and called 911. He’s here now, and when he’s released, he’ll be taken to the police station.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief. “Who is he?” I ask.
“He’s actually a member of your staff. His name is Jeffrey Waters.”
“Jeff?” I ask, unable to believe it. “He helps me take care of the horses. He…he was my friend.” I shake my head, unable to believe it.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. Let us know if you need anything else,” they say, walking away.
I walk back into Kaden’s room and take my seat. My eyes move up to his face. He’s still sound asleep, looking completely at ease. My heart quickens when I think about how this is all over. We’re finally free to just be, to live, to enjoy one another. I thank God that Kaden is okay, and he wasn’t taken away from me.
I lean forward and hold his hand, resting my head on the side of his bed. Sleep tugs at me and I give in, needing an escape.
It’sbright and early in the morning, and the news has broken about everything that happened last night. I get a cup of coffee, and as I’m approaching Kaden’s room, I find my mother pacing back and forth in front of his window.
“Oh, thank God,” she says, when she sees me. She wraps her arms around me and hugs me close. Pulling back, she looks me up and down. “What in the world are you wearing?”
I roll my eyes. “The nurses gathered me some clothes. Mine were covered in blood.”
“Blood? Why in the world were they covered in blood?”
“Kaden was shot.”
“The bodyguard?”
I nod.
“That doesn’t explain how his blood got on you. He was doing his job, Abigale.”
“I had to help him. I was the one who found him. I put pressure on the wound and rode in the ambulance with him.”
She lets out a sigh. “So what I’ve been told is true? You’ve been seeing this man?”
My shoulders fall. “Yes, Mom. Kaden and I…we’re together.”
Her brows lift as her eyes stretch wide. “What have I told you about the staff? What in the world were you thinking? This man isn’t the marrying type, Abigale. He is a member of your staff.”
I listen to her ramble on about how I’m too good to be with a man who works security, how sleeping with a member of my staff is wrong, and how my father isn’t going to be happy about this. And when she’s seemed to run out of hot air, I cut her off.
“Are you about finished?”
She seems shocked that I’d speak to her with so much disrespect.
“I’m an adult. I pay my own way. I have my own house far away from you and the world you think is so perfect. I left it for a reason. That’s not me. And I’m not too good for a man who loves me and put his life on the line to save me. Kaden and I are together now, and I don’t care if you approve or not. You can accept us both or neither of us. I love him, and I’m not giving that up because he doesn’t fit into your little box you like to put people in.” Without another word, I step around her and walk into his room.
