Page 36 of Choose Me

"I'm looking for my girlfriend," I told the nurse at the nurse's station.

"Okay, what's the patient's last name?"

"Monroe."

She typed in her name and scrolled with the mouse. "First name?"

"Ava."

"She's in bed 4."

I rushed through the now-unlocked door and looked for room 4, which was easy to find, considering Everett was standing outside the room talking to a couple of NYPD officers, and another agent was positioned outside her door.

Good.

He saw me coming, excused himself to the officers, and greeted me. "Hey. She's okay, and so is the baby. She's a little shaken up, but she's strong." His face darkened, and he continued. "Also, someone leaked to the press that we pulled Common's body out of the river this morning. It's all over the news. I told Ava I was plugging in her phone since it was almost dead, so she hasn’t seen it yet. She knows something is up and is not happy that I won't tell her."

I sighed, rubbing my forehead, mentally preparing myself for the conversation I didn't want to have.

It seemed to be a trend lately.

"Okay. Anything else?"

"I coordinated with NYPD and passed along everything we knew so far. The bosses are talking, but they want this thing quiet."

"Of course they do." I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, your sister is on her way. She saw the cops outside your apartment, and when she couldn't get ahold of you or Ava, she called me."

"What did you tell her?"

"The bare minimum."

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Dude, you know your sister is scary. She threatened to cut my balls off for not keeping Ava safe."

I couldn't stifle the laughter that burst out of my throat. Amelia was a spitfire, and I was glad she protected the woman I loved.

"Thanks, man. I appreciate you handling everything. I owe you a beer."

"Of course. I'll be out here if you need me. Good luck."

I nodded and walked into the room, taking sight of Ava lying in the hospital bed. Dark circles had taken residence under her eyes, and her hair was a wild tangle of knots. The nurse had just finished taking the IV out of her arm when she noticed me standing there. She was in my arms in a flash, clinging to me like she never wanted to let go. She trembled against me with frightened sobs as I held her tight, trying to soothe her with hushed whispers.

I pulled back and cupped her face, wiping away the tears that flowed down her cheeks. "I am so glad to see you. I'm so sorry I wasn't there."

"The baby is strong. We're both okay," she sniffled.

Desperate relief surged through me, lifting some of the weight off my shoulders that had become so heavy over the last few days. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply before burying my face into her hair. I leaned in and kissed her forehead and then her lips, savoring the taste of her. The moment my lips touched hers, a wave of longing flooded over me. I wanted to stay there, savoring the warmth of her skin and the taste of her lips forever. But I had to pull away before I completely lost control and fucked her on the hospital bed.

"God, I've missed you," I told her, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

She smiled up at me weakly, her eyes drooping from exhaustion. "I missed you too."

There was some commotion outside the room, and what sounded like an angry sister of mine yelling at the agent outside the door. The agent opened the door and gave me an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, sir, but there's a woman out here who claims she is your sister and aunt." He said the last part with a questioning tone.

I didn't get a chance to respond before Amelia burst through the door, shoving the agent out of the way, "Thanks for your help, Agent Doofus." She threw over her shoulder mockingly before rushing to Ava, checking her from head to toe.

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