Cyn felt calmer.
“Okay. Now sit with Lana. I’ll finish the packing. We will do one thing at a time. You’ll feel better, more centered, when I get you to Hunt. You’ll see that he’s okay. And the two of you will hold on to each other and get through this together.” Shelby wrapped Cyn in a hug again. “I am here for you whenever you need me.”
Cyn hugged her back, feeling a little better. “Thank you.”
“What are best friends for? And I have a feeling, someday soon, we’ll be sisters by marriage.”
Cyn found a wobbly grin for that, but somehow Shelby sensed her words made Cyn think about Angela.
“Oh, Cyn, I’m sorry. That was incredibly insensitive of me. I wasn’t thinking.”
Cyn shook her head. “I miss Angela. I will remember her every day, especially when I look at Lana. I’m not going to dwell on what I’ve lost, but appreciate what I have. You. My best friend, who is definitely like a sisterto me. And Hunt. The man who makes my future look brighter than the brightest star. This will all pass. But Hunt and I . . . We’re forever.”
Cyn picked up Lana and held her to her heart. “We are so lucky, baby girl. You will grow up and only know Hunt’s love and devotion to you and me. That’s a gift, baby. And we will love him right back, and we’ll be a family with Pancake Tuesdays and merry Christmases and happy birthdays and a million happy memories. We will always be together.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Hunt sat in the back of the ambulance with the paramedic pulling out glass from his arm and cleaning the wounds. His brother Chase watching him closely. “What is it?”
Chase sighed. “You were shot.”
“In the vest,” he reminded his brother. “I’m fine.” He pulled down his T-shirt to show Chase the bruise blooming across his pec and up toward his shoulder. He had no idea what his back looked like after being hit by the shotgun blast. It didn’t feel that bad. Probably because Rad had fired from too far away to do a lot of damage. Not like the nine-millimeter shot. “It hurts to breathe. I probably have a couple cracked ribs. Otherwise I got lucky.”
“Yeah, because if Cyn hadn’t taken your gun and shot that bastard he’d have finished you off.”
All Hunt could see out the open ambulance doors was the street beyond. He wanted to see her. “Where is she?”
“They’re questioning her.”
“She defended herself and me and Lana.”
Chase put his hand on Hunt’s leg. “I know that andso does everyone else. You know the procedure. That’s all this is, everyone on your team crossing all thet’s and dotting thei’s.” Chase pulled the ambulance doors shut as the driver got behind the wheel up front. “Shelby will bring her to the hospital as soon as Cyn’s allowed to leave.”
“I can wait here for her. I’m fine.” He didn’t want to leave her alone.
“You need an X-ray and to have the pellets removed from the back of your shoulders and arms,” the paramedic pointed out. “Not to mention all the glass in your arms and legs.”
Everything stung at the moment. “Fine. Let’s go. The sooner I get checked out, the sooner I can go home with Cyn and the baby.” His mind started sharpening. “The baby. Is she okay?”
“Yes,” the paramedic assured him as the ambulance pulled out and headed toward the hospital. “I checked her over. No cuts or bruises or any marks on her. She was in good health and ready to eat. Cyn was feeding her when we left the house.”
Hunt settled into the gurney. “Okay. That’s good.” His thoughts turned to Cyn and what she’d been through. “She’s got to be in shock after what happened.”
Chase squeezed his leg. “Shelby’s with them, so Cyn’s not alone. You’ll see her soon. Focus on taking care of you, so that you can be with her.”
Hunt nodded and grabbed his uniform shirt from between his legs. He’d tossed it there, along with his bulletproof vest, so the paramedic could assess his chest wound. His phone fell out of the crumpled material. Hepulled up his contact list and tapped on the Harmons’ number.
“Are you sure you want to make that call right now?” Chase studied him.
“They need to know what happened to their son.”
“I get that, but you’re not exactly thinking clearly right now.”
“I need to be the one to tell them.”
Chase frowned and shook his head. “You take on too much responsibility sometimes.”
“I just want to finish this so Cyn and I can be together without any loose ends.” Hunt tapped the phone icon and the call went through.