Willow stroked Blake’s arm. His head rested on the hospital bed beside her hip, his back rising and falling as he slept in the chair.
Her heart ached for the man and how tired he must be. Usually, all it took was a tiny movement from her, the smallest sound, and his eyes would shoot open. The fact that she’d roused in her hospital bed, that she could stroke his arm, his hair, and he didn’t so much as stir, meant that he was beyond exhausted.
It was probably more emotional exhaustion than physical. The man had almost lost his family. That would have torn him in two.
Willow’s heart gave a little thump at how close she’d come to death. At how close Mila came to losing her mother, and Blake to becoming a single parent.
The “could haves” of it all tormented her.
She ran a finger down his arm, trailing a thick cord of muscle.
His fist clenched. Then he shot up into a sitting position, gray eyes wide and alert, as if he’d never been asleep. When he looked at her, he scanned her face, her body.
“Willow,” he whispered.
Her eyes shuttered, replaying his voice in her head. A voice she thought she’d never hear again. When she opened her eyes, her gaze moved to his. “Are we really here right now? Alive and together?”
He reached out, taking her hand, and holding it tightly between both of his. “Yes.” He pulled her hand closer, touching it to his lips. For a second, she thought she saw a glimmer of tears in his eyes, but when he looked at her again, the glimmer was gone.
“And Mila’s safe?” She could barely get the words out.
“She’s safe, honey. She’s with Courtney right now. She’ll be here soon.”
Relief flooded her.
“How’s the migraine?” he asked quietly.
“I don’t even feel it.” She knew even if there were still remnants, the doctor would have given her pain meds to dull most of the ache.
Blake nodded, so much emotion on his face. “That was too close, Willow. Never again will anything like that happen.”
“Never again,” she whispered, knowing those words were a promise more than reassurance.
Slowly, she lifted her other hand, grazing his cheek before holding the side of his face.
One of his hands lifted, covering hers. “Thank you for getting our daughter out of there. We think they planned to use her to force you to walk into the ballpark alone and blow everyone up at seven thirty.”
Anger and fear of what could have been welled in her chest. Not only would Willow have killed thousands of people, she had no doubt the terrorists would have killed Mila the second they stopped needing her.
Willow shoved that thought away, not able to properly deal with it right now. “I didn’t get her away. She did. With your help.” She swallowed as emotion tried to clog her voice. “You taught her how to call you. How to release zip-ties. You ensured our daughter’s safety. Thank you.”
He dipped his head.
“Lay with me,” she whispered.
The words had barely left her lips when he was toeing off his shoes, climbing onto the bed, and crawling beneath the covers. The second his arms wrapped around her, Willow’s eyes closed again. She listened to the beating of Blake’s heart beneath her cheek, its quiet drum matching her own.
They lay there for a while like that. She was pretty sure she dozed off at some point, because when she opened her eyes again, the room was slightly brighter and a small, familiar voice came from the other side of the closed door.
Her breath caught.
“Mila.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
Blake’s arms tightened around her. “Courtney flew here to stay with her overnight at a hotel.”
She looked up at Blake. “Who did she find to call you?”
He smiled. “She found three former military guys.”
Willow’s mouth dropped open. “Jackson?”
Blake nodded. “And Declan and Cole.”
Willow blew out a long breath. “Jackson saved me.”
“He did.” Blake’s voice was deeper this time, with a rough edge to it. “And I’ll be indebted to the man until the day I die.”
She gave a small shake of her head. Trust Mila to find a group of military men who knew how to deactivate a bomb. “Our kid is amazing.” There were so many other words she could use. Stronger words. But for now, amazing would do.
“She is. But self-defense lessons start tomorrow. Then I’m gonna teach her how to shoot.”
Willow laughed softly, even though she wasn’t entirely sure if he was joking or not. Regardless, it felt good to laugh.
A second later, there was a small knock on the door.
Willow’s heart sped up. She ached to see her daughter. Touch her. Hold her. And she was pretty sure that once she had Mila in her arms, she would never be able to let go.
“Come in,” Blake called.
The door flew open, and Mila ran into the room.
Willow’s eyes flooded with tears at the sight of her. And when Mila climbed onto the bed and crawled into her arms, every part of her cracked soul realigned. She held her daughter tightly, Blake’s arm still around her.
Never in her life had she felt more grateful to have both her husband and her daughter here. Safe. Together.
Blake watched Willow hold their daughter. The final lines of strain left her face as happy tears streamed down her face.
He kept one arm around Willow’s waist, the other around Mila’s back as he thanked every god there was that his family had come out of this unscathed. That everyone he loved was still alive.
He looked across to the door, seeing Courtney standing inside the room, tears in her eyes, Jason beside her. Past them, in the hallway, Blake saw Jackson, Declan, and Cole talking to Aidan and Callum.
Jackson’s gaze caught his.
Blake needed to have a long conversation with the man. Thank him properly. Make him understand exactly how indebted he was to the guy for risking his life to save his woman. The difference between them both living and dying had been mere minutes.
The man had risked everything for a stranger.
And he wasn’t just thankful to him for defusing the bomb, but also for finding his daughter. Listening to her. Making sure she was safe until his team could get there.
Blake dipped his head. A silent thank you. And a promise that, should Jackson ever need him, Blake would be there in seconds.
Jackson dipped his head in return.
Returning his gaze to his family, he tightened his arm around Willow.
“Daddy, Mama said we can get that dog now.”
One side of Blake’s mouth lifted. “Is that right?”
Willow lifted a shoulder. “Well, Mila said she’ll be in charge of feeding and you’ll be in charge of cleaning the yard.”
Blake grinned. “Which yard would that be? Yours or mine?”
“Ours.” Willow wet her lips. “I thought we could sell the house Mila and I have been living in and move into yours…together.”
Blake swallowed the emotion crawling up his throat. That was all he wanted. All he’d ever wanted since returning to his family. For them to be together again, all in one place. “I can’t think of a better idea.”
Willow’s gaze softened. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, lips lingering a moment too long, like always. Then Mila was leaning into them both. “I love you, Mama and Daddy.”
Blake wrapped his arm tighter around his daughter. He loved his family too. So damn much his chest ached.
