Page 72 of Saved from Obsession

The first thing I do as I walk into our apartment is call out to Georgia.

Once she answers, her voice drifting down the hallway toward me,thenI let out my breath.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be one hundred percent comfortable leaving her. Even though I was just downstairs for a meeting, within running distance of Georgia, I still felt unsettled. The first time I have to go away for work, I’ll be a wreck.

Fortunately, the guys have been really good about taking all the jobs and cases that require travel, allowing me to do investigative and surveillance work from here. I know I’ll have to leave Georgia eventually, but I’m grateful to have had these weeks here with her, to make sure she’s healing both physicallyandemotionally.

Thankfully, she’s been doing even better than I anticipated. The concussion hasn’t seemed to leave any serious side effects, just a bit of light sensitivity and the occasional headache—which the doctorandCole said is perfectly normal and should go away in time. The nightmares have dropped off—there was only one this past week—and tomorrow we’rebothgoing to meet with a counselor.

But if the happy note in her voice is any indication, Georgia is heading in the right direction. I can hear her smiling as she calls out, “Leo! I’m in the office. Come see what I’ve done!”

I have to choke back a laugh as I walk into the office. Georgia is sitting in the middle of the floor with approximately one-thousand scarves and hats spread out around her. Scattered between them are pairs of mittens and gloves in every color of the rainbow. It’s like Georgia is an island, and there’s a sea of yarn all around her.

She’s holding a pile of paper tags in one hand and a pen in the other, but she puts them down as soon as she sees me. As she makes her way over to me, sidestepping two hats and three scarves, she says, “That was quick. Did the meeting go okay?”

“Yes.” I pull Georgia into my arms as soon as she gets close enough, lifting her across the last few piles of mittens. “Everyone said hi. Finn wants to know when we’re going to do pizza night again. And Cole said Maya wants us to come over for dinner soon.”

“I’d love that.” She stretches up on her tiptoes to kiss me. “We should probably invite everyone here for dinner soon.”

“Not yet. Maybe in a week or two, sweetheart.”

“Leo.” Her voice is gently scolding. “I’m not an invalid, you know.”

“I know that. I just want to make sure you’re ready.” Maybe Iambeing a little overprotective, but I don’t want Georgia trying to do too much and suffering a setback. Deciding to change the topic, I ask, “So what is all this?” and lift my chin at the array of knitted accessories.

Her tiny frown clears the way for another big smile. “I’m getting my stuff ready to sell online. First, I’m organizing everything and figuring out prices. Then I’ll start taking photos, and get my Etsy store stocked, make some logos, figure out shipping…”

“That’s great, sweetheart. It sounds like a lot of work.”

“Kind of.” She turns her head to sweep her gaze across the room. “This is just the knitted stuff. Then I have the crocheted bags, the paintings, and all my jewelry. I didn’t realize I had this much stuff just stored in boxes. And I have so many ideas for new things I want to make. Felted purses, oversized knit blankets, herringbone bracelets…” She trails off, laughing lightly. “I’ll stop. I’m sure you don’t want to hear about it inthatmuch detail.”

“Of course, I do.” Pushing a few loose strands of hair off her forehead, I lean forward to press a small kiss there. “I love hearing about your plans. And I’ll be honest, I didn’t realize it was such a big undertaking. It sounds like a full-time job.”

Georgia wrinkles her nose, looking adorably frustrated. “It could be. If I wanted to launch the store in the next few weeks. But I need to look for a real job soon. The online store will just be a part-time thing.”

“Why?”

“Whywhat?”

“Why does it have to be a part-time thing? Why don’t you do it full-time?”

“Because I can’t make enough money just selling my crafts on Etsy,” Georgia explains patiently. “I need a real job so I can help with expenses.”

There are little lines between her eyes and across her brow, ones I don’t want to see there. After everything she’s been through, I don’t want her doing anything that won’t make her happy. As I smooth my thumb over the fine lines, I tell her, “Itcanbe your full-time job. If it’s what you’ll truly enjoy doing, then you should.”

“But—” Georgia pauses, her eyes big and worried. “What about the money?”

“Sweetheart, we’re okay with money. I have a lot saved up from when I was in the Army. And I make a good salary at Blade and Arrow. Plus, I don’t have rent, or a mortgage right now, so that helps me save even more. So we definitely have a buffer if you want to work at getting your store off the ground.”

“Are yousure?”

“Yes, I’m sure, Georgia.” I cup her cheek and hold her gaze with mine, showing her the truth of what I’m saying. “And I’m confident that you’ll be a huge success very soon. Your stuff is amazing. All the guys want hats and scarves and Maya said she wants a bag in every color.”

“Leo…” Her eyes go soft as she stares at me. “How did I get so lucky?” Arms twining around my neck, she clings to me. “Not just about the store, or the job. Or about you protecting me. It’severything.”

“Out of everyone in the world,” Georgia says, her words wobbling a little. “Of all the billions of people, I can’t believe I was lucky enough to find the one person who makes me feel complete. It’s impossible totellyou how much you mean to me. The feeling is too big. It’s like . . . like an entire universe in my heart. My love for you is infinite.”

“Georgia.“ It’s hard to breathe past the emotion swelling big and fast inside me.

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