He shakes his head and finally kisses me with a bit more force. It’s a quick peak, but it’s something. “No more lies, Harper. I can’t take it. If you’re in pain, don’t try to be tough. Promise me.”
The pain medicine is kicking in and I feel the exhaustion taking over. “No more lies from either of us, Zane. You promise, I promise,” I sleepily say.
“Deal, babe. Get some sleep. I need to call everyone, but I won’t be far,” he says.
I want to argue, but my eyes are already closing. “Okay.”
His fingers sink into my hair and I’m not sure if I’m smiling, but I want to. “I love you, Harper. With everything I am.”
“I love you too, Z,” I manage, before I’m pulled under.
“She’s good. She didn’t seem to be in much pain, but you know how she is.” Laughter fills the room and I slowly blink my eyes open. “Shit, did we wake you?”
I clear my throat and try to sit up, but the pain prevents me. “No, I think I need more pain medicine.”
“I’ll go get the nurse,” Zane says, kissing me before he walks out.
“Hey,
” Ivy says.
“Hey,” I reply with a grin.
She starts to cry, and I shake my head. “Don’t fucking scare me like that again.” I let her hug me and she cries on my shoulder.
“She’s been like this since she heard what happened,” Kace says, drawing my attention. “Welcome back to the land of the living, sweetheart. Scared the shit out of your man.”
I laugh, but suddenly stop. “No jokes, not yet. How long until this pain isn’t so intense?”
He kisses my cheek quickly. “Everyone is different. For me it took a few weeks, but believe it or not, mine was worse.” He lifts his large shoulders like it’s no big deal.
“Guess I didn’t wanna take all your glory,” I say with a smile. “How long was I asleep?”
“We’ve been here about an hour and Zane called a few hours ago. I’m not entirely sure, but a few hours,” Ivy says. “Do you need anything? Want some water?”
I take a few small sips and tell her I’m done. I glance between Kace and Ivy, wondering if anything happened between them. He did say she’s been like this since it happened. Makes me believe he’s been with her the entire time. I grin to myself, if anything good comes out of this, maybe it brought them together. I’ll ask Ivy when we get a chance to be alone.
I take a second to stare at Kace. He appears to be concentrating on his phone, but I know he’s listening to every word being said. I don’t know what Zane would do without him. He’s his best friend, the logical, levelheaded one. The one who helps keep Zane grounded. And he knows exactly what I’m going through, having been here himself. My eyes drift from him to Ivy and back again. He’s sexy by anyone's standards. His messy brown hair, dark eyes, and the facial hair that is more than just a five o’clock shade, give him a mysterious look. The lip ring, that he’s had a long as I can remember, gives a hint to his other piercings. I know his nipples are pierced too, but it’s always made me wonder what else could be. He’s tall, muscular, and has brilliant artwork covering him, from his hand up his entire arm and across his chest. There’s no doubt in my mind that Ivy is drinking him in every time she’s brave enough to peek.
“Hey Kace?”
He puts his phone in his pocket and gives me his full attention. “How is he?”
A small, unconvincing grin spreads across his face. “He’s trying.”
“Seriously, how bad is he?”
He shakes his head and glances at the door. “Seriously? He needs to get himself in check. His anger is gonna get him killed.”
“Fuck,” I breathe out.
“Don’t worry about him right now. You need to take care of yourself,” Ivy chimes in.
My eyes close against the tears. “It doesn’t work that way.”
“Hey, he knows you are alive now. It’s a start,” Kace says, squeezing my foot.
Before I can even reply, Zane walks back in. “Fucking nurses need to remember that you’re their priority,” he mumbles walking in.