“It’s not awful. He was evil.”
She nodded. “He was. An officer told me they’ve actually been trying to locate him. Wentworth had lost custody of his son last week and refused to turn him over. Seems that Harrison has a maternal aunt who’s been working with the police. I don’t know all the details, but clearly there are some skeletons coming out of the closet.”
“So, when he took you, he probably had nothing left to lose. That makes a lot of sense.”
“It does.” She sighed. “Hopefully, Harrison will get a new beginning. A healthier parent with a loving home. Want to know what else I did when you were out?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“I called the school and spoke to the superintendent. I’ve got my job back. And the principal will be ‘taken care of’—in other words, fired—for ignoring not one, but two, reports of stalking by Stoddard Wentworth.”
“Holy crap. That’s amazing. How did this all happen so quick?”
“You were out for nearly twenty-four hours.” She flushed. “Between the hypothermia and them having to do surgery to remove the bullet, you’ve been in and out of consciousness since, but not enough to hold a conversation until this afternoon.”
“Yeah, most of it’s a blur. But I remember you were always there. Every time I woke up, no matter how briefly, you were beside me.”
“I barely left,” she admitted.
He tugged her head back down to his and brushed his mouth over hers again, nipping at her bottom lip.
She made the sexiest little moan and whispered, “You know I can’t think when you do that.”
“Thinking’s overrated.”
Someone cleared their throat at the door to his hospital room, and they pulled apart.
James stood in the doorway, his posture stiff and his gaze unreadable.
“Hey,” Eric called out, ignoring the wave of unease sweeping through him. “Come in.”
Hannah straightened, her cheeks pink as she folded her arms across her chest. Still, she didn’t leave his bedside.
“How are you feeling?” James stepped into the room.
“I’m alive.” Eric nodded. “And Hannah’s safe. So I’m pretty damn good. Who knows if we could say the same if you hadn’t been there to help us.”
While his eyes were somber, James’s lips twitched. “I dialed a number. Not really sure that makes me a hero. You’re the one who jumped on the back of a moving boat.”
“I wouldn’t have gotten there in time if I’d stopped to make the call myself,” Eric said softly. “You better start taking some credit for this too.”
“Agreed.” Hannah glanced at James. “We’re so grateful for you and for what you did. You’re a good friend to us both.”
Eric watched to see if James would react to her words. There was a tiny, almost indiscernible wince, before he gave a short nod.
“Well, you both gave me a helluva scare. Hannah and I grabbed some coffee while you were knocked out. We had a good talk.” James sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and stared at the floor. “I apologized to her, but I owe you one too.”
“You don’t.”
“I do. I said some awful stuff in the car.”
“I would’ve, too, if the roles were reversed,” Eric admitted.
James seemed to sit on that for a moment, before he gave a small grunt in reply. “You should also know I texted the landlord and let him know that we’d be moving out when the lease is up in a few months.” James cleared his throat. “I figured you both probably have something lined up.”
“I’ll cover my share for the remaining months.” Because James was right. What Eric had “lined up” was making things official with Hannah.
He wanted to do things properly for her parents. Ask for permission to propose soon, before searching for rings.