Page 17 of Razor
“Is she family?” the nurse questioned.
“She’s his wife,” Spade shouted from down the hallway, running to catch up with them. Razor didn’t miss the smile and wink he shot in Ella’s direction as she stood by the wall, dumbfounded. “I’m a Detective, and so is he,” he said, flashing the nurse his badge.
“Can my wife come back with me, please?” he asked. Not taking his eyes off Ella as fresh tears ran down her cheeks. The nurse told her to follow them, and she did as ordered, not saying a word. God, he wished that he could pull her into his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay, but that would have to wait until they didn’t have an audience. For now, it just felt good to have her by his side. When Razor reached for her hand, she took his and smiled down at him, and for a split second, all the pain he had been feeling was gone. Ella did that for him—took away his pain. Even the pain that he hadn’t realized he was still dealing with.
“Violet is okay,” she whispered to him. “Spade said that his wife is with her.”
“I know,” he breathed, “Are you okay?” It was sweet that Ella wanted to give him an update on his daughter, but she had been through a lot today, too, and that was his fault.
“I’m okay. Spade got to the warehouse just after they put me in that awful cage again. I didn’t have to spend too much time there. Plus, they didn’t hurt me. I guess they didn’t want to mess up their merchandise.” The nurse glanced back at Ella and gave her a sympathetic smile.
“Have you been checked out, too?” she asked.
“I have been. Just before my um, husband was brought in.” Hearing her call him her husband did strange things to his heart. He wanted those words to be true so badly, but that could all wait for now. When he asked Ella to marry him, he wanted it to be special—with a ring and all, and that was going to take a little time since he had a feeling that he’d be on bedrest for a few days.
The nurse quickly got him hooked up to a bunch of beeping machines and monitors while Spade and Ella stood in the corner of the small room and watched. Every time someone touched him, he groaned out in pain.
“We’ll get you some pain meds just as soon as the doctor sees you,” the nurse offered.
“How long will that take?” Ella asked.
“He’s on his way now,” the nurse said. “He’ll want to do a workup on your husband, but he will be made comfortable for the whole process. You two should wait in the family waiting room,” the nurse said.
“I’ll go, but she’s staying,” Spade insisted. He gently kissed Ella’s cheek and nodded at Razor on his way out. “If you need me, I’ll be just down the hall,” he called back over his shoulder. The nurse followed Spade out of the room, promising to be backwith the doctor soon, leaving them both alone for the first time in what felt like an eternity, not just a day.
“I’m sorry that I lied and said I was running to the store, honey. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry that I left you and Violet,” he breathed. “I should have known that it was a setup. Hell, I think a part of me did, but I still took off to meet the Devils anyway. That text that I got wasn’t from Spade—it was from the Devils, and they set me up. I put you and my daughter at risk, and I’m so sorry.”
“I get it,” she admitted. “You couldn’t have known that it wasn’t Spade. They took his phone. If my best friend asked me for help, I would have done the same thing. It’s what makes you who you are, Razor. You’re a good guy, and you’d do anything for your daughter and your friends.”
“You left out a part,” he whispered.
“What part did I leave out?” she asked.
“The part where I’d do anything for you, too, Ella. I know that you told me that I didn’t have to get over my wife to be with you, but that’s exactly what happened. I want to be with you, honey, and I’m done being haunted by my past. I just hope that you can forgive me and give me another chance.”
“There is nothing to forgive,” she said, leaning over to gently kiss his lips. “The only thing I want you to worry about right now is getting better so that you can come home.” She was avoiding making eye contact with him, and that scared the hell out of him.
“I won’t have a home to go back to if you’re not there, honey. You and Violet are my home now. Say that you’ll move in with us. I want you to be a part of our lives. I need you to be a part of my life, baby.” He was begging her to stay with him, and he’d keep doing it until she agreed to be his. He could tell by the look in her dark eyes that she wasn’t sure if she believed him or not. He had held her at arm’s length for months now,never expressing how he felt about her, but that was all about to change.
“I’m in love with you, Ella,” he breathed. She started crying again, and this time, he pulled her down to sit next to him. “I realized just how much I loved you when Spade told me that you were safe. Thank God you weren’t hurt, honey. I don’t know what I would have done if they had—” he couldn’t finish his sentence. His voice cracked, and he broke down just thinking about how close he had come to losing the only other woman he had ever loved.
“I’m here,” she said, understanding everything that he was trying to tell her. “I’m here and I’m safe. I’ve loved you since you picked me up on the side of the road, Razor. I thought it was white knight syndrome—you know, you swooping in to save me, and all.”
He chuckled and groaned. “As if you needed saving. You’re the most badass woman that I’ve ever met, honey. You fucking killed a man to gain your freedom, and even though I have no right to be proud of you, I am. If anything, you are the one who saved me, Ella. You made me whole again, and I haven’t been that way in a damn long time. You put me back together, and for that, I’m so grateful.”
One of the machines chose that moment to start beeping like crazy, and he was sure that something was wrong. “Am I dying?” he asked.
Ella stood and giggled. “Nope, your blood pressure cuff just came loose. I’ll take care of it. She looked over the machines and hooked the cuff back up to the pump. “There,” she said.
“I sometimes forget that you’re an ER nurse,” he said.
“I haven’t given it much thought either, but I think that I’d like to go back to work at some point—you know, when I’m ready.”
“I think that’s a great idea, honey,” he said. “But I’m good with whatever you decide. I mean, if I had my way, I’d keep you barefoot and pregnant in my kitchen.”
She giggled and sat back down next to him. “You are a caveman,” she teased. “Are you sure that I’m what you want?” she asked.
He tugged her down for a soft kiss. “You’re more than what I want, honey. You’re everything I’ve ever needed. I just need to know if you feel the same way. Will you stay with me? Will you be a family with me and Violet?” he asked.
