Page 148 of Beautiful Revenge
Archer treads in the deep end, fully dressed with shoes on, and produces his soggy phone from his pocket and holds it above the water. “It’s a good thing you’re raking in the big bucks at this place, arsehole. You owe me a cell.”
“Your phone is the least of my worries,” I tell him the truth. I swim to Isaac and toss him into the deep end as he shrieks and giggles.
What I don’t do is think about the test results or what’s to come in Harlow’s future.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
LOVE
Devon
Three weeks later
It’s been a fucking whirlwind. I’ve counted down every week, day, and hour.
Now we’re down to minutes.
The nurse looks to me. “It’s time to say goodbye. You’ll see her in three short hours—give or take.”
Short, my arse.
They’ll be the longest hours of my life.
I look down at the woman I plan to knock up as soon as her body can handle it. “I hope you’re done trying to prove how brave you are after this.”
“It will be fine,” she says, but it’s laced with nerves. For the first time since she made this decision, she sounds like she’s trying to talk herself into it.
“It will. I’ll be here when you wake up.” I mean it with every bone in my body. “Harlow?”
“Hmm?”
I look deep into her beautiful eyes. “I love you, baby.”
She gasps. “You love me? And you’re telling me this now?”
I smile. “Of course, I do. And yes. I’m telling you I love you because when you wake up, we’re moving forward in every way possible.”
Tears fill her eyes. “Leave it to you to profess your love and boss me around in the same sentence moments before I go into surgery.”
“I’m giving you something to look forward to.” I lean down and kiss her.
Tears leak from her eyes. “You love me.”
“I think I’ve loved you since you called me adried-up James Bond.”
“Sir, it’s time,” the nurse says.
We both ignore her.
“You could’ve told me sooner,” Harlow complains. “I’m too emotional as it is. I can’t handle this.”
I press my lips to her forehead and find it hard to tear myself away. My voice is as heavy with emotion as my heart, because the words come easy. It’s a relief to finally say them. Hell, I could chant them to the world. “Love you, baby. Come back to me.”
“I love you too,” she whispers. “I’ll see you in three hours—albeit a little lighter.”
I swipe her cheek with my thumb before I force myself to step aside. “Spreading the love, just like you always do.”
“I love you,” she calls as the nurse takes the breaks off the hospital bed and starts to wheel her out.
