Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
I consider my options for a while, but there’s one very clear winner. There’s no way I could ever sue the hospital. That place is my home, and I could never place blame for being shot on them. But do I deserve some sort of compensation for the shit I’ve been through? Hell yes. It just feels wrong taking it from the hospital instead of the asshole who barged through the doors of a children’s wing with a gun in his hand.
“And if I accept the money?” I ask.
“Then you’ll most likely have a meeting with the bigwigs at the hospital, sign some papers declaring that you won’t pursue any legal action against the hospital, and go home with a check.”
“That easy, huh?”
“That easy,” he confirms. “You can put it all in the past and move forward.”
“That sounds pretty good to me.”
“I bet it does,” he says, before brushing his fingers over my shoulder and slipping the fabric of my shirt down, revealing the skin beneath. His gaze settles over the healing wound, checking how it’s healing, just as he has done every time I’ve seen him since the shooting.
His fingers lightly brush over the angry red scar before he presses the softest kiss to my skin and sends goosebumps soaring across my body. Adjusting myself on his lap, I straddle him and feel his strong hands slide around my waist, not daring to let go, and as I meet those deep eyes that I love so much, he blows me away.
“I love you, Gigi,” he murmurs, his gaze boring into mine as his thumbs brush over my skin. I suck in a breath, not having expected that, especially so soon after last night. “I’m sorry it’s taken me until now to tell you, but I think I knew the second you answered the door the day we went riding. You looked radiant, and I felt my heart kickstart again. Only it terrified me because it meant I was starting to move on.”
My heart swells, but I sit quietly, sensing he has more to say. “I talked to Sara last night, and believe me, I know how crazy that sounds. But I was at the cemetery, and I feel like if there was any time that she was there listening, last night would have been it.”
His lips press into a hard line, and it’s clear his memories of being at the cemetery are hard to swallow. “I told her all about you and realized she would be okay with it. The second I figured that out, everything just kind of settled within me. I’m still pissed that she’s gone, and I miss her every fucking second, but I no longer feel as though falling for another woman is betraying her memory.”
Tears well in my eyes as I snuggle into him, slipping my arms under his so I can hold him tight. “She already knew,” I whisper, my head resting against his wide chest.
“What do you mean?”
“That day you kidnapped me,” I start, a fond smile settling across my face. “I saw that picture of her in the hallway upstairs, you know the black and white one outside Georgie’s room?” He nods and I lift my head to smile up at him. “After tucking her in, I stopped to talk to her.”
“And what did you tell her?” he questions, his gaze narrowing as a soft smile pulls at the corner of his lips.
My cheeks flush, feeling shy, and I squish my face into his neck, a wide smile stretching across my face. “That you’re the kindest, sexiest, most incredible man I’ve ever met and it’s all thanks to her that you’re here in my life. Then I told her how you’re an amazing father and that you’re doing an amazing job of raising Georgie.”
“And?” he prompts, knowing there’s more, his eyes sparkling.
I pull my cheek from the nook of his neck so I can see his perfect face, my gaze settling on his. “I told her that you were hurting and that I want to bring you happiness.”
Emotion shines bright in his eyes, and he squeezes my waist as if trying to comfort me, but I don’t need it, not now, not when I’m already in his warm arms. “You’ve already brought me so much happiness,” he tells me. “I adore you and so does Georgie. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
Sean’s hand comes up and gently pushes a stray lock of hair behind my ear before curling around the back of my neck to pull me in, only I hold back. “Sean?” I murmur, my heart racing. “I love you, too.”
His chin tilts up to mine, and he gives me everything he’s got, kissing me deeply as I curl my arms around his neck, never more content in my whole life than what I am right now. When we pull back to catch our breath, I drop my forehead to his, reveling in the feel of his hands gently moving over my back. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that last night.”