to Maroon 5’s, “If happy ever after does exist”, as they leave my lips.
I raise Harley’s hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles one by one, singing quietly. Her brows pull together as the corners of her lips turn down.
“I know, Angel. I know the words I’m singing are different. But that’s a song about people who’ve lost one another. My version is about them finding each other, and never letting go.”
I follow the curve of her cheeks, her eyelashes fanned out over them. She murmurs, and I scan her face as she appears to be waking up.
“It’s all right.” I place my other hand on her forehead and stroke her hair back from her face. “You’re okay.”
“Huh?” Her eyes crack open, and she winces, her fingers tightening around my hand. “What happened?”
“You stood on glass and passed out.”
“Oh.”
“In front of a cab.”
Her eyes go round as she tries to sit. “I was hit by a cab?”
I ease her back down onto the stretcher. “You would have been if I hadn’t caught you.”
She stares at me. “You caught me?”
My brow creases with confusion. “I would never let you fall, Harls.”
She gazes around the back of the ambulance, her eyes landing on the paramedic who’s jumped in and is closing the rear doors behind him.
“You could have been seriously hurt.” I press my lips into a firm line, bringing her eyes back to mine with a gentle finger under her chin.
My heart leaped into my throat when she cried out in pain. Every cell in my body tore across that sidewalk to get to her. To reach her before she hit the ground. I made it to her just in time, breaking her fall, my shoulder taking the brunt of the hood as the cab pulled away from the curb.
“Why are we going to the hospital?” She jolts up, grabbing my arm. A strangled groan leaves my lips before I can stop it.
“What is it?” She sits up on the stretcher, ignoring me as I shake my head and indicate for her to lie back down. “Reed?”
“It’s nothing,” I reassure her.
She places her hand on my shoulder, and I suck my teeth with a hiss as the muscle spasms beneath her fingers.
“You’re hurt!”
“I’m fine.”
“No. You’re not. Did you get checked out?” Her eyes dart to the medic who’s leaning forward, telling his colleague in the front we’re ready to go. “Let me see.”
Before I can stop her, she pushes my jacket down my arm and pulls at the buttons on my shirt.
“Reed,” she gasps, her delicate fingers dusting over my bare skin as she slides the fabric away. I suck in a breath, my eyes shuttering closed as I bite my tongue to keep the expletives at bay. “Oh, my God.” Her voice wavers as she studies my skin.
My voice drops as my lips graze her ear. “Careful, Angel. You undress me and there’s no telling what I’ll do to you in here. Ambulance or not.”
“You’re turning black and blue!” She ignores me, tracing her fingers across my searing skin as I swallow the dry lump in my throat.
“It’ll heal.” I grind my teeth together as another shot of pain ripples down my arm.
“You might have broken something.”
“Harls, I’m fine.”
She ignores me again, and I groan in frustration as she turns to the medic.
“Please, can you look at his shoulder?”
Fuck. Now we’re going to have to stay at the hospital even longer. And we aren’t even there yet.
“I’m fine,” I repeat to the medic, who looks like someone’s kid brother before they were old enough to shave. “It can wait until we get there.”
He nods at me, taking his seat in the back with us as his colleague starts the engine and we drive. The only reason I’m letting them take us to the hospital at all is Harley has glass embedded in her foot that needs to be removed. Something she doesn’t seem to be aware of. I can take some painkillers and be done, but Harley could get a paper cut and I would want to shut down the city if it meant helping her.
Her hands are back on my skin, stroking it with tenderness. “You need to have it looked at when we get there.”
“I told you. I’m fine. We’re going to check you’re okay and then we’re leaving.”
I’m taking you home. With me.
“No. We’re getting you checked too.”
Stubborn…
“We’re not.”
“We are,” she fires back.
“My only concern is you. Forget about me,” I huff, casting my eyes to the medic, who’s looking the other way with a smirk on his face.
“Oh, shush. You’re like a grizzly old bear that’s been poked.” Harley’s brow creases up, and she purses her lips, her eyes continuing to study my shoulder. “You’ve really bruised—”
I grab the back of her neck with one hand, fisting her hair between my fingers as I pull her mouth to mine. She stiffens for a fraction of a second before she allows herself to fall into me, giving me full control as I kiss her so hard the pain in my shoulder melts away.
I don’t care that we aren’t alone.
I don’t care about anything at this second other than tasting her lips again.
Proving she’s still mine.
She breaks our kiss, her palms pressing against my chest as she guides me backward.
“Sorry… We…” She bites her lip as a blush creeps up her neck.
“Beats the blood and vomit we usually see.” The medic chuckles from his seat behind me.
My spine tenses, and I turn to look at him over my shoulder. “I’ll give you a hundred bucks to close your eyes for the rest of the drive.”
“Reed,” Harley gasps.
The medic tips his chin up. “Make it two. I’m pulling double shifts for the entire week. My wife’s about to have a baby.”
She’s about to…? He looks like a kid himself. Maybe it’s me getting old.
“Deal.” I pull my wallet out and thrust two green Benjamin Franklins into his outstretched palm, my eyes already back on Harley. “And cover your ears, too.”
Her breasts rise and fall as she stares back at me, her pink lips plump and inviting. “What are you doing?” she whispers.
The earlier hurt from our conversation is still evident in her eyes, but now it’s joined by the tiniest hint of a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. It’s all the fuel I need to reach forward and pull her body to mine, soaking up her scent and her softness as I wrap my good arm around her waist and slide my tongue between her lips.
Her hands go to the back of my head, threading through my hair as she sighs quietly into my mouth.
“Don’t ever think you’ve let me down, Angel,” I murmur, needing to finish our conversation from the sidewalk. I slide my lips to her jaw and kiss along it until I reach her ear and inhale the scent of her coconut shampoo. “I’m never letting you walk out on me again. I will never allow a situation where you think that’s the only option you have.”
“Reed, I—” She stops and hums in pleasure as I kiss and suck my way down her neck, moving her blouse to the side to suck the juncture where it meets her shoulder.
“Reed… What I said…” She tries again as my hand snakes around the back of her neck and my lips move lower, over her collarbone.
“Unless the next words out of your mouth are going to be ‘I’m letting you take me home with you, where I belong’, then I don’t want to hear them.”
“But—”
“But nothing, Harls. When we get to the hospital, I’m calling Suze to bring your things over. End of discussion.”
I suck and nip a path back to her lips. I’d give anything to yank her blouse down and suck one of her tight rosy nipples into my mouth, feel it roll around on my tongue. But I don’t trust kid-face behind me not to peek. And there’s no way in hell any man is ever seeing Harley like that.
Except me.
Only ever me.
I kiss her again, losing myself in her until the clunk of the doors echoes in the air and the ambulance comes to a halt.
“Another hundred and I can close them again. If that’s your kink.” The young medic winks at me as he hops out of his seat and opens the rear doors.
“Nice try,” I say, straightening my shirt and jacket as he jumps down, returning a moment later with a wheelchair.
He climbs back in and advances toward Harley. “Do you think you can manage on one foot with my help? Or you can stay on the stretcher, and I’ll take you out on that?”
“There’s no need for that. I can manage. I feel terrible for wasting your time.” She glances down at the blood-stained dressing on her foot.
“Hey, it’s never a waste. That’s what we’re here for.” The young medic grins as Harley outstretches her arms toward him. “Okay then.” He steps forward.
“I’ve got her.” I step in between them, bending over and wrapping my good arm around Harley’s waist and pulling her to her feet.
“Reed, you’re hurt, let…” Harley looks to the medic.
“Jack,” he pipes up.
“Let Jack help me.”
“No.”
Pain explodes through my other shoulder as liquid fire lances through it, making my stomach churn and sweat bead along my hairline. I clench my jaw tight as I help her out of the ambulance and into the wheelchair.
“You’re good. Michael will take care of you now.” Jack pats the male nurse on the shoulder, who has come to take us inside.
Despite my shoulder throbbing like a bitch and stealing my breath, I curl my lips as Harley calls out thank you to him as she’s wheeled off.
“First baby?” I ask him.
“Huh?” He looks at me, his grin growing brighter as he realizes what I’m talking about. “Yeah, yeah it is.” Joy lights up his face as he talks. “Only a couple more weeks to go.”
I nod at him, rolling my lips, before checking Harley hasn’t gotten too far ahead.
“Listen, thanks for patching her up back there and getting her here safely. I appreciate how hard you all work.” I shake his hand. “Take your wife out before the baby comes. Have some time together.”
His fingers curl around the extra bills as I draw my hand back. “Thank you.”
I nod at him, then turn and follow Harley. We’re shown to a waiting cubicle, and I help Harley up onto the bed.
“We’ll sort that foot in no time and have you both on your way.” Nurse Michael smiles kindly.
“Reed’s hurt his shoulder,” Harley blurts. I shake my head at her to stop, but she ignores me… again. “I think it could be broken.”
I tip my head back and exhale heavily with a groan as Michael looks my way.
“All right. We’ll check it out. Give me a minute. I’ll be right back.” He walks out and swishes the curtain closed behind him.
“You realize we’re going to be here all fucking night now?” I sigh, taking the seat next to her. “Back in a minute is probably nurse talk for three hours.”
Her lips pucker as she looks at me, defiance glittering in her eyes. “Reed, you’re hurt. I’d stay here all week if I had to.”
I reach over, entwining my fingers with hers in her lap. “Fine,” I huff.
I stroke my thumb back and forth across her skin. She shivers and her breath stalls, making her voice wobble. “Are you… okay, Reed?”
The worry has returned to her eyes. That same torment she’s held in them ever since I was elected. The night I now know as being the first time she received a text message.
And the video.
She’s suffering. But not for much longer.
I bring our hands to my lips and kiss the back of hers. “I’m with you. So yes, I’m okay. The only scenario on this earth where I wouldn’t be okay is if you leave me again. Come back with me tonight. Promise me.”
She can’t say no. I won’t let her. If she tries to argue, then I have it all planned out in my head. I’ve rehearsed every single thing I will use to convince her that she needs to come back.
“Promise me, Angel. I want to hear you say it. I need you to say it.”
She stares at me in silence and then slowly nods. “Okay.”
Tension drains away as my lungs deflate.
Thank fuck.
