Page 66 of Stella's Christmas Rescue
I nod. “I don’t know. I’d say hell sums it up.”
“Is your leg okay?” she panics again.
“That’s not what I meant,” I kiss the top of her head. “I told you, honey, the doc patched me up just fine. She even had antibiotics and everything.”
Stella nods, then checks her phone. “And Alex is just about to go into surgery. The doctor says the bullet only nicked the bone, so it should be just fine. Oh, thank God.” She sighs, then slumps in the booth next to me.
Wes says, “I’m sorry he got shot, Stella, and I hate to be this guy, but do you think you can follow the rules in the future? So, maybe your brother doesn’t get shot again?”
I ask, “What are you talking about? This is all over. Riker’s dead.”
“He is, but for the time being, Stella will remain in the program, so that we can make sure the rest of the smuggling ring doesn’t have a chance to come after her.” Wes looks to Stella and says, “With these extenuating circumstances, your relocation has been automatically approved. What are your thoughts on Juneau?”
“Alaska?” She scowls.
He nods. “We have a couple of?—"
Stella violently shakes her head and says, “Absolutely not.”
Wes sighs. “Juneau isn’t as backwoods as you think, and nowhere near as country as Floyd. They are?—"
“I can’t go there, Wes.” She glances at me.
He asks, “Why not?”
“I won’t leave Jordan.”
My chest swells from her words. But, “Stella, if you’re?—"
“I’m not leaving you,” she says firmly, then interlaces her fingers with mine. But then, she slips them away. “Unless you think it’s too dangerous. I don’t want you to?—"
I kiss her. “I’m with you. Whatever happens.”
She flashes me a quick smile, takes my hand again, then tells Wes, “We’re in this together.”
He closes his eyes, then sighs. “You’re sure this is what you want?”
“Without question,” she says.
Wes looks to me. “And you? You’re going to keep yourself in this crazy situation?”
I smile at him and say, “I’ve been in worse spots, with people nowhere near as good-looking. You should know, Wes. You were there.”
He chuckles. “Same to you.”
“And I’m not going anywhere without her. Never again.”
His voice is heavy when he asks, “So, you both plan to stay in Floyd?”
“Yes,” we say together.
Now or never. I ask Stella, “Do you want to stay forever?”
She smiles up at me. “What do you mean?”
“Marry me.”
“Is this the concussion talking?”
