I can tell he wants to be furious with Mason, who’s hovering behind me, but his rabid focus can’t stray from me for long. “I…was…” He stops, shame clouding his face. “I was trying to…”
“I know what you were trying to do, Jared.”
He shuts his eyes for several seconds and his Adam’s apple bobs. “I’m sorry, Skye. I failed. I’m sorry.”
A lump lodges in my throat. “Jared—”
Bloodshot eyes lock on me. “I need you to know I didn’t order your father to be beaten, Skye. I swear.”
Mason clears his throat. “For what it’s worth, I can corroborate that, Miss Michaels. Your father attacked the minute my men approached him. They were defending themselves. We think he wanted it to happen so you’d think badly of Mr. Prince.”
I nod at the burly bodyguard. “Thank you.”
He nods and leaves.
Jared’s fists knot in the hospital sheet until his knuckles turn white. “You have every right to think badly of me. I’m a mon—”
“No. Don’t say it. Please. I’m sorry for calling you a monster. You’re a good man, Jared. If you weren’t, you would’ve walked away from your college friends when you lost everything the first time. But you didn’t. You fulfilled your vow to make things right. You just took your eye off the ball for a moment this time, because of me.”
He shakes his head. “I should’ve said no immediately when your father made that insane offer. I only said I’d think about it because I wanted to buy more time with you. I didn’t want what we had to end. I couldn’t bear the thought of letting you go, angel.”
“I know. I would’ve done the same thing, Jared. I didn’t ask for my phone back because I didn’t want to ruin the time I had with you. I think I was hurt that Dad could walk away, could ask for money in exchange for his daughter. I was more upset with him than with you. I took it out on you because it was easier. And because of me you almost…almost…oh God!”
“No, angel. Don’t for a second put a single ounce of blame on yourself. This is all me. I fucked everything up right from the start. Shit, don’t cry,” he begs, one bruised hand coming up to cup my jaw in that uniquely beautiful and tender way I’ve missed so damn much.
He brushes one tear away and I glance up at him. “Not everything. You didn’t fuck up everything,” I say, because I know how much I love him now. Irrevocably. Until time itself stops. And I have to believe we can get past this. We need to.
A ghost of a smile whispers over his lips but it disappears almost instantly. “I know you need to leave, to return to a better life out there, but…I needed to see you one last time. To say that I hope you’ll forgive me one day, angel.”
My heart tumbles over with fear and panic. “You want me to leave?”
His grip tightens convulsively, and desolation sweeps over his face before he forces himself to release me, one finger at a time. “I don’t have a right to ask you to stay. Not after what I’ve done.”
“No. You don’t. Not after walking into traffic and getting yourself hurt. Not after snatching my heart from my chest when I thought I’d have to live without you.”
I burst into tears again and he makes a pained sound.
He dries my tears as fast as they fall, his hoarse voice begging my forgiveness. “I’ll do anything, angel. Just name it. But please, don’t cry. I can’t bear it. Fuck.Angel. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just…I just needed to come find you. Make sure you were okay. I couldn’t stand how much I hurt you. It was killing me, Skye.” His hands cradle my head and he presses his forehead against mine, his breathing desperate. “Forgive me. Please.”
I catch his strong wrists and ease back. “I will, if you let the doctors fix you up. They say your condition is serious, Jared.”
He shakes his head, desolation still etched on his face. “I can’t go under the knife. I don’t deserve to feel better when you’re hurting.”
Panic flares through me. “Don’t you get it? You being at risk hurts me. I need you alive, Jared. I need you to…Ineedyou.”
He blinks and his eyes drill into me, that feral look rearing up again. His breath shudders out of him as his fingers tangle in my hair. “Princess?”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “I never thought I’d hear you call me that again.”
“Jesus. Fuck. Please tell me I’m not hallucinating what I think is happening.”
“What do you think is happening?”
He shakes his head. “I love you, Skye. More than life itself. And if this is…this is you telling me you feel…something for me…” His eyes frantically search mine. “Please. Let it be that.”
“It’s that…and more. I love you too. And I really, really need you to let them fix you up.”
He stares at me for an age, then looks over my shoulder. The doors open and I hear feet drawing closer.