Page 126 of Star Crossed
“Nova!” she called when he got to the door. “Can I see Romeo?”
“Hell yes, you can,” Nova surprised her by saying. “It’s because of you both my brothers are finally getting out. You ever need a favor, Jules, I’m your guy.”
“The only favor I need is to see my husband.”
“I already said that was done.” Nova tilted his head and contemplated Jules. “And as soon as you get better, we’re gonna have to talk about all those shitty mutual funds you’re investing in.”
Jules frowned at the off-topic statement. “How’d you know what I invest in?”
“Lucky guess. I know you and your brother are cut from the same cloth, but we gotta start being more aggressive about your financial future.”
“We?” Jules laughed. “I hadn’t realized it was a team effort.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Nova waved his hand dismissively as if the decision was already made. “I’ll just pull money out of Romeo’s account and start working on it.”
Jules wanted to snap at him for his audacity, but a memory about Nova nagged at the back of her mind. Romeo’s story of a young, eleven-year-old boy muscling into card games just to win enough money to help his dying mother. Money was a powerful form of expression for Nova. It was his way of trying to fix things, and she saw the olive branch for what it was.
“Thank you.” She grinned, knowing Romeo had so much money it wouldn’t make a difference where Nova got the starting capital. All that mattered was Jules giving him a way to take care of his new family. Even if he couldn’t see them, he could still love and care for them. “I’d really appreciate that, Nova.”
He gave her a beaming smile. Unlike his usual dark, cynical smile, this one reached his eyes, making him look more like Tino than she’d noticed before now. It had to be their mother’s smile because it was the same one Romeo had, and it was beautiful.
Nova pointed across the hall. “I’m gonna go back.”
“Make sure he knows I love him.” Jules sighed, wishing she could be there but knowing she was still bedbound. “Are you gonna tell him ’bout the babies?”
“I don’t think there is any way to muzzle Tino about that.” Nova laughed. “That’s gonna be the first thing outta his mouth. Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Jules knew it wasn’t worth getting upset over when she took in the whole picture. “I suppose we got the rest of our lives to be excited together about it.”
* * * *
Jules didn’t have to wait long to see her new husband.
She’d like to think it was her own intimidation tactics, but it turned out Romeo was more convincing than her. Shortly after the buzz of him waking up wore off, Jules heard the nurses start to refer to him asthe bear, and it wasn’t endearingly. Romeo was trying to set the record for the worst patient in the history of St. Francis’s ICU, and they put Jules in a wheelchair and rolled her across the hall just to make him a little more agreeable.
He was pale. His eyes were too dark a green to be normal. When she got nearer, she saw his pupils were wide and dilated with whatever powerful painkiller they were giving him to make moving easier. They must have worked because Romeo turned on his side and grabbed her hand the moment she got close enough, as if he hadn’t just had two major surgeries.
He kissed her palm, his voice unnaturally raspy as he whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Jules brushed her fingers against one cheek rough with stubble as Romeo placed another kiss against the inside of her wrist. She took a shuddering breath before she whispered, “I missed you.”
“I know, baby. I’m sorry.” He could barely say the words. Despite the audience in the room, Romeo cried openly. His voice was harsh with emotion as he choked out, “I thought I’d lost you.”
Jules leaned closer, wanting to crawl into the bed next to him and stay there. “I thought I’d lost you too. I was so scared.”
She pulled her hand out of his and used it to help her stand even though she’d promised the doctors she wouldn’t. They both had IVs. There seemed to be cords and wires everywhere, but Jules tried to pretend it was just them in the room without the witnesses and machines and the pains of recovery.
“Mrs. Wellings, you’re supposed to stay in the chair.”
Jules ignored the reprimand from the nurse as she leaned down and let Romeo give her a strained, one-armed hug. She clung to his big shoulders, feeling his warm skin and that pulse of energy that was uniquely him.
“He shouldn’t be—”
“They’re fine.” Nova’s hard voice cut the nurse off. “They’re both tough. It’s gonna take more than a hug to do them in.”
“I love you, Juliet,” Romeo whispered against the good side of her neck, placing a kiss to her pulse point. “I’m sorry you were scared.”
“Promise me you’re gonna be okay,” Jules begged in a raspy whisper as more tears streamed down her face. “That you’re gonna heal up and be with me—withus—always.”
