Page 111 of In Hiding

“He tripped and fell off a cliff.”

Those weren’t words one heard every day and they shouldn’t make him smile. “He’s dead?”

“Yes. The cops want you to give a statement when you’re ready but it’s just a formality, considering the Sergeant witnessed the deranged psycho go over the edge.”

He frowned at Stevie. “You have a way with words.”

She chuckled and wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his bicep. He watched her pump it up and take his measurement. Finished, she hung the cuff back on its stand and draped her stethoscope around her neck. “I’ve seen things you can’t imagine, but the look in her ex’s eyes made me certain he would never stop. Seeing him tumble into the abyss?” She shrugged. “I call it karma.”

“All that matters is that she’s safe.”

“Agreed.” She slid her hands into her pockets and studied him for a long moment, as if sizing him up. “You are an asset, Jake Langley, and believe it or not, you’ve made a home here in the Crossing. Whatever happens between you two, you should know that there will always be a place for you here. Now, take this opportunity to rest up. I have a feeling you’re going to need your strength.”

Chuckling to herself, the doctor left. The room fell silent since the machine at his side no longer beeped. The fuzziness in Jake’s mind began to lift as he settled back to watch Sarah sleep.

Knowing she was here soothed his worries and allowed him to relax but he couldn’t deny the depth of his need for her. He battled with his conscience for a long time whether to wake her or let her rest but somewhere in that fight, he must have fallen asleep because when he woke, he found her sitting on the side of his bed.

“Hi.”

“Hey,” she breathed, her face brightening with a smile. “You’re awake.”

He tried to lift his hand only to find it wrapped in hers. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

She lifted his hand to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. “Right back at you. How are you feeling?”

“Like I was hit by a train.”

“Close,” she conceded with a nod. A tear dropped from her eye.

Sarah pressed his hand to her cheek. Like a cat, she closed her eyes and rubbed against him. More tears streamed down her face. Jake applied the slightest pressure to bring her down to him. Resting her forehead against his, she closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath.

“I thought I lost you,” she whispered. “That you’d left me before I could tell you how important you are to us.”

“Us?”

She nodded, never breaking contact. “William and I. He needs you, Jake.”

“He’s a good kid.”

“He thinks of you like a father.”

His heart warmed. “And what about you, Sarah?”

Her eyes sprang open. “I need you.” Her voice quivered. “It scares me half to death to admit it, but it’s true. I know why you didn’t tell me about Erik. I wish you had, but I can’t hold it against you.”

“I should have told you,” he growled. “I wanted to, believe me.”

Her lips curved into a smile. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“I know I’ve made this promise before, Sarah, but I want to make it again. I will never lie to you. I will tell you everything. The good, the bad and the ugly. You deserve the truth.”

More tears fell, landing on his cheeks. “Thank you.”

He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead. “Which means that I should tell you that I love you.”

He expected her to pull back or shy away, but she blinked and nodded. “Is that a good, a bad or an ugly?”

Jake’s mouth went dry but she only chuckled.

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