“How bad is Rita?” I ask, curious but not concerned.
A dark smile spreads across his face for a few seconds. “Babe, you jacked her up. Broken nose, fucked up elbow. She’ll be charged and moved from the hospital to the county jail in Seattle before the night is over. I already told them there was no way we could hold her over until trial and there’s no way she’s getting bail.”
“I need to give a statement. She confessed to killing her ex-boyfriend.”
Tyler’s eyes go wide. “She did what?”
Taking a breath, I tell him everything.
_______________
IT’S FUNNY HOW the imagination works. When Rita stabbed me the pain was so sharp I’d been sure I was going to require a blood transfusion. Not only do I not need a transfusion, the gash required only eighteen stitches. I took that as good news, but Tyler looked about ready to spit nails when Dr. Nelson said how many he’d used to close the wound up.
As soon as I’m told I can leave, Tyler demands a wheelchair for me, even though my legs are fine. He then carries me from the wheelchair to the Andovers’s car. Millie and Felicity drove down here to pick us up because Tyler left his truck at home so he could ride with me in the ambulance. Both women cluck approvingly at the over-the-top way he tends to me—first with the whole carrying me from door to door, then with the way he settled me into the car like a nervous mother hen.
“There’s dinner at home for you. Felicity and I whipped up a lasagna,” Millie says as she pulls away from the curb.
“We left it at Ashley’s,” Felicity says. “Figured, maybe…”
“It was a good call,” Tyler says.
I am hoping that I won’t have a problem going back to his house, but I guess only time will tell. Charlotte’s Cove crime rates are very different than Los Angeles, so it’s not like I don’t feel safe here. Still, I can’t deny that what happened with Rita was traumatic.
“Has the vet called with an update on Boo?” Millie asks.
Tyler nods. “They gave her some activated charcoal and ran an IV. They want to keep her overnight for observation but they tell me she’s going to be just fine. We’ll spoil her like crazy once she gets home.”
I can’t even explain how happy I am that Boo is okay. I could see the worry on Tyler’s face while he waited for news on her condition. Honestly, I was more worried about Boo than I was about myself once I knew I didn’t need surgery or a trillion stitches.
The drive home from the hospital doesn’t take long. Tyler carries me into the house and sets me up on the couch. Once I’m in place with a strict “don’t move” issued, he heads into the kitchen to dish out the lasagna. When he sits down next to me and starts fork feeding me, I almost die. He really is the best.
“I can feed myself,” I tell him softly.
He shrugs. “Maybe you can, but you’re not going to. I’m your man, it’s my job to take care of you.”
Sometimes you have to choose your battles. Instead of arguing, I let him feed me.
Two hours later, after he’s bathed me, dried my hair, and dressed me for the night, he settles me into bed before stripping down to his boxers. Because of my arm we’re on different sides of the bed. Turning onto his side, he stares down at me.
“I’ve been a cop for a decade,” he says. “Today was the first time I was ever terrified on the job. If something had happened to you…”
Lifting my good arm, I cup his cheek. “I’m okay. We’re okay.”
He thinks about that for a minute before he nods. “We’re okay now, yeah. Doesn’t change what went down earlier. Driving home from the marina, I cursed every mile that separated us. I knew how I felt for a while, but I didn’t want to rush it. Now, I know I went too slow. I love you, Ashley. So fuckin’ much.”
I’ve known that I was in love with him for weeks, and I’ve felt confident that those feelings were returned but hearing him say it makes everything perfect. I know I will never forget hearing him say the three sweetest and most beautiful words I’ve ever heard for the first time. “I love you too,” I answer, my voice rock steady.
That earns me a smile and a quick kiss. “That’s the best damn thing I’ve heard all day,” he says. “You’re stuck with me now.”
I smile dreamily. “I wouldn’t want it any other way,” I tell him.
As tough as today was, there’s no doubt in my mind that we’re going to be okay. Together, we’ll get through anything that comes our way.