Page 81 of An Unexpected Everything
“I am pretty sure I can handle them,” he whispered, his voice low.
I looked up into those light eyes and finally let the tears fall. “You’re awake.”
“You should be in bed, Bella.”
I snorted even as I moved closer to him. If I wouldn’t hurt his broken leg, I’d have gotten into bed next to him, just to feel his warmth. To remind usboththat we were alive after everything that had happened.
“Everyone keeps telling me that, but I’m sitting down. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine, and you’re going to get your ass kicked.”
I jumped at the sound of Dorian’s voice, wincing at the sharp movement to my ribs. Apparently, I wasn’tthatrested. “I’m fine.”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re not. Neither of you are. But thankfully it’s a small town and we Cages happen to know how to pull strings.” He moved to the side and my angry nurse walked into the room.
“Ms. Cage Dixon. Youwillget into the second bed in this room and rest. We’ll move all of your information and items here. And if you don’t rest, I have been told I can stick the others on you to make that happen.”
Weston let out a rough chuckle and I just blinked as the twins poured into the room, Lance and the sheriff on their tail. “Seems like we have a full house.”
“Yes, we do and now you’re going to have to deal while we take care of you,” Sam said with a tight nod, her eyes filled with tears.
I opened my arms and both twins moved toward me, hugging me softly as to not hurt me. “We’re okay, girls.”
“I see where I stand,” Weston grumbled next to me, but I saw Lance and the sheriff go to his side.
Before the girls could respond, the nurses and their teams moved me to the empty bed in the room since there was only so much space in the small hospital that serviced multiple small towns—including Cage Lake.
“We’ll take care of what we can here,” Sheriff Brothers said after we were all settled. “I’ll be talking to you both soon, but for now, just rest.”
“That’s exactly what they’ll be doing,” Aston ordered as he came into the small room, Blakely pushing past him to run toward me.
“Isabella!”
Tears fell in earnest as she took me in her arms, the twins holding us both. And somehow the room continued to fill with Cages and friends. I knew the hospital staff wasn’t happy, but right then, I didn’t care. I held out my arm, grateful they’d pushed the beds together enough so I could reach for the man I loved. Weston held my hand, and I met his gaze.
“I love you,” he mouthed, and I swallowed hard.
“I love you too,” I whispered back.
The others spoke around us, discussing the next family dinner, after graduation plans, and upcoming Cage family builds and businesses. And when my mother arrived, my heart nearly burst. But I didn’t say anything I would regret. Instead I let my mother hold me. Then watched as she spoke kindly with the twins and my siblings. The Caldwells had lost their caring and loving parents and there was no coming back from those broken bonds.
While my father was gone and I knew I would never truly find the peace he never let us have, I could move on from what he’d done and try to find forgiveness for the woman who had raised me under a life I never understood. Perhaps it would never be my place, but in the end, I’d nearly lost everything I loved, and I wasn’t sure I could stand to hold on to the pain to lose it again.
“Did someone say baked goods?” Harper asked, pulling me out of my thoughts as she and her brother walked into the very cramped room.
“Oh thank the sugar gods,” Dorian exclaimed as he helped gather bags of food and pastries from the siblings.
“We also brought burgers, fries, and nothing healthy,” Joshua explained. “We also bribed the staff to let us come back, but apparently Dorian here had already used his Cage charm to make that happen.”
Weston squeezed my hand and I sat back, watching my family blend with Weston’s and the town of Cage Lake.
I didn’t know what would happen next or how we’d get through the next few weeks, but I knew we wouldn’t do it alone. They were my family—unexpected, large, rambunctious, and full of trouble.
And I knew I’d found my place.
As a Cage. And as Weston’s.
Just like he was mine.
