“Just checking on you. How is he?”
“Asleep.” I swallow another set of tears. I’d been treated for my bruises and cuts, and I assured the doctors that everything else was fine, but I hadn’t counted on the mental stress, the terror that never seemed to go away.
“How are you?”
“I’m fine,” I say. It has become easier to tell people that, even though I only have to close my eyes to hear the sound of the gunshot, and see Landon going over the balcony.
“Are you sure?” She sounds worried. The last thing I want is for her to cut her honeymoon short because of me.
“We’re both alive, Laurie. That’s what matters.”
When I end the call, Joe is standing at the entrance to the foyer.
“Thank you,” I tell him, it’s the first thing I’ve really said to him since that day. “Thanks for saving his life.”
He is silent, and in his face, I see genuine emotion. “I should have been here earlier.”
I shake my head. “No, you came right on time.” Landon had pressed the emergency button on his phone as soon as he’d seen the blood in the foyer. So even while he was talking to Evans, trying to buy time, Joe had already been on his way.
I sigh, remembering the horror of watching as Landon charged Evans. I remember screaming and losing consciousness when I heard the gunshot. The bullet had slowed Landon down, just as the recoil made Evans unsteady on his feet. That was what sent Evans over the balustrade and made it possible for Joe to grab hold of Landon just before he went over.
Joe leaves me standing in front of the study, going back to his position in a corner of the living room. Sometimes, he joins Esmeralda in the kitchen when she comes up, but he’s always here, within hearing distance, and there’s something comforting about it.
I make my way upstairs. In the bedroom, the curtains are drawn, leaving the room dark and silent except for the sound of Landon’s breathing as he sleeps. Going to stand beside the bed, I study his peaceful face. He is shirtless, his shoulder covered with white bandages, his hair ruffled, and his breaths slow and calm.
I sigh softly, my heart tightening as I stroke his hair. He had taken that bullet for me, because we’d both realized, as Evans turned the gun toward me, that he was going to shoot me, just to hurt Landon. That was why Landon had launched himself at him. That was why he’d risked his own life, knowing that he could get shot, or worse, go over the balcony.
I strip off my clothes, and when I’m wearing only my underwear, I join him in the bed, laying on my side so I can watch his beautiful face. “I love you,” I whisper.
He doesn’t reply, of course, but in the way his breathing changes, I feel as if he can hear me.
WHEN I wake up, Landon is watching me. My eyes flutter open to find his blue gaze locked on my face and filled with emotion – love and intense relief.
I smile at him, leaning up on an elbow.
“You’re awake.”
“Yeah.” He frowns. “I feel as if I’ve been asleep for weeks.”
“A few days on and off, to give your shoulder time to heal,” I search his face for any signs of pain. “How’re you feeling?”
“Aching.”
There’s a fresh jug of water on a tray on the nightstand. “Would you like some water?”
Landon nods slowly. “Yes,” he says, then as I start to get up, he reaches out a hand to stop me. “But don’t go yet.” He sighs. “I just want to look at you.”
My eyes fill with tears. “Landon…”
His breath hitches and he takes my hand in his, squeezing it as my eyes water again.
“You’re shaking.”
I smile through my glistening eyes. “I know.”
His eyes close.
“Let me get you that water,” I say.