Page 10 of Stalker Santa

Her sweet voice is music to my ears.

“Zoe!” Relief floods through me as I kiss her knuckles over and over again.

“Thank god! Thank god!” I say over and over again as the tears continue to stream from my eyes. I've never been a religious man, but this is enough to have me willing to worship whatever deity brought her back for the rest of my days. Maybe that's what it will take to be without her anyway. Maybe I'll have to join the priesthood or something. Anything to keep her safe from me.

“Alex,” she says my name again, and I feel her soft hand on my cheek. I turn my head into her palm and kiss it like a dog starved for affection. I close my eyes and savor the feel of her touch. It’s probably the last time I'll ever feel it.

“You saved me?” she asks.

I look into her innocent hazel eyes and my breath catches. If she doesn’t remember…

My heart plummets as I realize I can’t lie to her. I shake my head as I admit the truth. “You fell down the stairs running from me after you found out the truth that I've been stalking you for over a year.” I shake my head. “I'm so sorry—so, so sorry, Zoe. I never meant to hurt you.”

I drop my head in shame as the sorrow of losing her overtakes me.

But then I feel her hand take mine. She squeezes it as she smiles at me softly. “I remember all that,” she tells me gently,“But I also remember the way you tumbled down the stairs to break my fall.”

It's true. I did. I flung myself headfirst down those stairs to catch her before she hit her head worse than she did—or worse yet—broke her neck.

“Seeing you fall down those stairs…” I shake my head as my voice catches. “It scared the shit out of me, sweetheart.”

I take in a deep breath as I brace myself to keep my promise. “But I meant it when I said I'll leave you alone now so you don't get hurt because of me ever again.”

My throat is tight as I stand. If I’m going to do this, then I need to just do it, but her little fingers grip mine tightly. “Zoe,” my voice sounds as tortured as I feel.

I close my eyes as my chest tightens. It's hard for me to look at her knowing that I'm going to have to walk out of here and leave her, but I can't keep my gaze from finding those eyes that I love so much, drinking them in for the last time. “Zoe,” I beg, “please don't make this any harder on me than it's already going to be.”

“But,” she says quietly, “I don't want you to go.”

I go completely still as I stare down at her, unwilling to let the hope take flight in my chest. Maybe she just doesn't want to be left in the hospital alone. I get that hospitals are scary and nobody wants to be alone in one.

“You know I can't deny you anything,” I tell her over a lump in my throat. I should just be grateful for this extra time with him. Even if it’s going to make this that much harder, I can’t deny her.

She shakes her head and clarifies, “No, what I mean is I want you to stay with me forever.”

My breath catches, and I forget to breathe for a moment. I don't dare let myself hope just yet.

“Are you aware of what you're saying?” I ask just to make sure she’s in her right mind.

She nods her head at me, her pretty lashes fluttering as she looks down and then looks back up at me with those big innocent eyes. “I'm not saying what you did was right, but your motives were pure. I don't care about the past.”

“You were right,” she goes on softly. “I feel it too. We're meant to be together, and that’s all that matters.”

My heart is beating so fast it’s a wonder I don’t have a heart attack.

“You risked your life to save mine.” A tear slips down her cheek, and I fall to my knees beside her to wipe it away.

“Zoe, don't act like I'm a hero. This is all my fault.” My voice is tortured even as hope lights in my chest.

“That’s not true,” she protests. “Maybe you have your flaws, but we all do, and you are my hero.”

I kiss each of her fingers reverently, worshipping her in what small way I can.

“Besides,” she cracks a wry grin, “I never did tell you what I want for Christmas.”

“Anything,” I tell her earnestly. “Anything you want and it’s yours.”

She bites her lip before she tells me softly, “All I want for Christmas is you.”

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