Page 90 of Moonlight & Matrimony
“Ivy, sweetheart. I’m here. I’m right here. Look at me, baby.” I clutch her face in my palm, forcing her to look at me.
“Luca,” she whispers, her voice hoarse, barely audible, but it’s her.My wife. My love.
A sob of relief tears from my throat, and I fall to my knees at her bedside, clinging to her hand, not giving her a chance to slip through my fingers again.
“I thought… I thought I was going to lose you.”
The faintest smile plays on her lips, and it’s like the moon and the stars dance behind her eyes. “I’m sorry…”
“No, no, don’t be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for. You fought so damn hard. I’m so proud of you.”
Ivy’s expression softens, and she squeezes my hand again, this time with a little more strength. “Rylin… is she…?”
My breath catches at the mention of our girl, grief nearly overwhelming all of my senses. I hesitate, not wanting to burden her with the weight of everything that’s happened since she’s been asleep. But she deserves to know.
“She’s been staying at the ranch with Evie,” I say, keeping my voice even and steady. “She’s safe, but she’s not herself.” I don’t want to say too much. I’ve only just gotten her back and I can’t predict what kind of impact this knowledge might have on her. Ivy has always been so damn strong, but I’m terrified to find out what will be left of her when we finally leave this place.
I watch as her face falls, her eyes filling with tears, and it takes everything in me not to pull her to my chest and hold her while she cries. “My baby…” she whimpers before her face falls. “Oh my god, what about Austin?”
“He’s dead.”
Her face changes to something I can’t describe. It’s not quite grief, or anguish, but something akin to relief tinged with something bitter.
“Okay,” she sighs, her body visibly relaxing.
“I’m going to get the doctors in here, and I need to call everybody. They’ve all been so worried. You really gave us a scare.”
“Please don’t leave me,” her body begins to shake, gaze darting around the room as if she’s seeing a ghost.
I cup her face in my palms, trying to ease her nerves. “Hey. Hey. It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. I have my phone, and I’m just going to press the call button, okay? Stay with me, Ivy. You're safe. Nobody can hurt you now.”
The last of my restraint collapses as her eyes remain unfocused. I place one hand behind her knees and an arm around her back to shift her to the side of the bed, making room for my body to nestle up against hers. I pull her head to my chest as I hold her while she falls apart. I reach out a hand and push the call button, waiting quietly for the nurse to arrive. No more than a heartbeat or two later, Ivy’s breathing steadies and she falls into fitful sleep.
Ivy
I’m sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, buttoning the shirt Luca packed for me, surrounding myself in his familiar woodsy scent. It feels surreal to be wearing normal clothes again, having spent the better part of the last month in stiff hospital gowns. My body aches in places I didn’t think could hurt, and there’s a heaviness in my chest that won’t subside. But I’m going home today, and the thought of seeing my baby girl is the only thing keeping me from falling apart again.
I glance toward the doorway where Luca is standing, his subtle smile not quite reaching his haunted eyes. He hasn’t been sleeping much. I can tell in the way his shoulders are sagging and it’s written in the dark circles under his eyes. But he’s here, steady and unwavering as always.
“Are you ready?” he asks, his voice gentle, like he’s afraid I’ll shatter at any moment.
I nod, internally doing my best to convince myself that I’m ready for anything. I have to be strong, for Rylin and for myself, and though he’d never admit it, for Luca, too.
Luca approaches, then. Reaching out a hand to steady me as I attempt to stand. Every step is a reminder of what we’ve endured — the car crash, the hospital — Rylin. My heart aches at the thought of my little girl; at the memory of her wide, silent eyes the first time they brought her to me after I woke. Her face was empty, completely devoid of emotion, and it broke whatever part of me was still intact. She still hasn’t spoken a word since Austin tried to take everything from us. Truthfully, I’m not entirely convinced he didn’t succeed. Her silence is deafening.
As we reach the door, Luca lowers me into a wheelchair, giving my hand one last squeeze. “Paige is waiting for us at home.”Home.
When we reach the elevator, I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the polished doors. The woman staring back at me might as well be a stranger — pale, thinner than I remember, with eyes that seem too large for her face. I look away quickly. Not wanting to see any more of the broken shell of a woman I’ve become.
It’s not long before we’re pulling up in front of the familiar two-story home. Paige is standing on the porch, her face lighting up the moment she sees us. She rushes down the stairs and before I can even fully step out of Luca’s truck, she has me wrapped up in a tight embrace.
“You scared the shit out of us,” she says. I pull back, taking in her glassy eyes and red nose.
“Don’t you dare cry. I can’t do any more of that right now,” I warn. She laughs, and it settles something inside me. “Where’s my girl?”
A sullen expression crosses her features, but it’s gone in a flash. “She’s inside waiting for you.”
As I step over the threshold, the familiar warmth and scent of home surrounds me. Rylin is in the living room, silently clinging to her favorite blanket, Hazel curled up beside her on the sofa. Her eyebrows shoot up when she sees me and she stands up slowly, as if she’s unsure if she can approach. It shatters my heart to see her like this, all of the brightness snuffed out of her.
