Pepper’s eyes fill with tears and they leak from the corners. “And Charlie?”
I give a small shake of my head. “The police are looking for her.”
“Everyone’s looking for her,” Richard drawls.
Pepper’s gaze goes from her dad then back to me for explanation. “I gave a press conference to the major news outlets. I put Lida’s and Charlie’s pictures out on social media. There are a lot of eyeballs out there and I’m sure they’ll find her soon.”
Lowering her gaze, Pepper murmurs, “I’m so sorry. I tried to protect them.”
“Don’t,” I say gruffly as I drop down into the chair and lean over the bed rail to put my face closer to hers. She refuses to look at me.
Twisting my neck, I look at her family who are all gathered around the bed. “Can we have a few minutes alone?”
“Of course,” her mom says as she pulls the curtain aside. Her dad and sister leave, then her mom gives me an encouraging smile before she follows.
When I turn back to Pepper she starts rambling. “I’m so sorry this happened. Lida came in my house and had the gun on me, and then Lucy came over with Charlie. It was just stupid luck but when she turned away from me, I tried to get the gun and she shot me. I couldn’t stop her after that. I called for help but—”
I place my fingertips gently over her mouth. “None of this is your fault, Pepper.”
Her expression is dubious but she remains quiet when I lift my fingers away. “Lida is crazy. None of us could have predicted this level of crazy, though. I’m the one who is so sorry you got caught up in this. I thought you were going to die, Pepper, and it gutted me and I told myself if you made it through, I needed to tell you all the things that I should have told you before I kissed you goodbye this morning.”
“Like what?” she whispers.
“Like I am totally, 100 percent, head over heels in love with you,” I tell her as I take her hand back in mine. “You are everything I need to make my life complete and happy. I should have told you this already because I’ve been feeling it for some time. But I doubted myself. I was afraid maybe you didn’t feel the same. It’s the first time I’ve ever had feelings like this for a woman, and it’s awesome and totally terrifying. But fuck, Pepper…you could have died. I could have lost you which means I would have lost a part of myself because you make up a lot of what’s good in me.”
Pepper’s eyes are round and awestruck. She smiles. “I’ve been in love with you for a while and I shouldn’t have held back in telling you. There was a moment…and I just knew.”
I tilt my head. “What was the moment?”
“When you wanted to know how I felt about not having children. You wanted to know me on such an intensely personal level, I just knew.”
I nod my head because I remember that conversation well. Her words were important to me and the fact she so willingly shared something so personal humbled me.
Turning slightly, I look back to the closed curtain figuring I have a bit more time alone with Pepper. I let her hand go and release the latch on the bed rail so I can lower it out of the way. I scoot my chair closer to the bed, turning it sideways so I can get as close to her as possible.
I hold out both hands to her and she places hers in mine. We both squeeze at the same time and I lean in a bit closer to her. “Because I love you, I trust you.”
She smiles and nods. “The same here.”
I open my mouth but my voice cracks. I hold her gaze, refusing to look away in shame as my eyes start getting wet. My voice stammers as I forge on. “I trust you to see me break down. I haven’t been able to yet because I had to do the press conference and I had to wait here with your parents to come out of surgery, but now…here alone with you and knowing you love me…I have to tell you, Pepper…I’m fucking scared out of my mind.”
“Oh, baby,” she murmurs and I drop my head until it’s resting against our clasped hands. I don’t hold back and let the tears flow freely.
“I was so afraid you’d die, and I’m terrified I’ll never see Charlie again, and you’re the only person in the world that I can admit my fears to.” The tears keep coming and they wet our hands. She manages to pull one free and it comes to the back of my head where she strokes my hair as I weep on her.