Back in Tessa’s room, I freeze in the doorway when I realize the doctor wasn’t exaggerating. The mountain of various colored blankets layered on her is so high that I can barely see Tessa’s head sticking out of the top.
“That’s quite a collection of covers you’ve got there,” I say to try and lighten the mood.
“They wouldn’t bring me anymore,” she tells me softly. “Said they had to save some for the other patients.”
“I think you have plenty, don’t you?” I ask. When she doesn’t respond, I tell her, “So, um, Paul and Steven are both here.”
“I still can’t see him, Charlotte!” she gasps. “Please don’t make me!”
“I’m not,” I quickly assert. “No one is going to make you do anything, okay? He’s just worried about you and wants to know how you’re doing. The doctor said you told him the wedding is off.”
“It is,” she agrees.
“You’re sure? We could probably postpone for a few weeks or months, just tell the caterers and florists to all hold off…”
“I’m cancelling, not postponing,” Tessa informs me. “Will you…could you let Paul know?”
“You want me to tell your fiancé that the wedding is off?”
“Please?”
“Of course. Sure,” I say. “It’s just…he’s going to be devastated.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“This is a huge decision and you’ve been through hell. How about you just sleep on it tonight; and if you are still sure in the morning, I’ll tell him then?”
“Fine,” she agrees with a sigh. “But I’m not going to change my mind.”
My throat burns and tears fill my eyes at hearing how adamant she is about calling off the wedding. Yes, I was jealous that she was getting her happily ever after, but I still wanted Tessa and Paul to have forever together. They love each other and should get to spend their lives growing old together. Now, I just hate that Tessa may be throwing her relationship away all because of what those assholes did to her. It’s not fair. It should’ve been me they kidnapped and hurt. I don’t have a husband anymore. My life is already ruined while Tessa’s was just about to start…
“Can I get you anything? Something to eat maybe?” I offer, not sure what else to do or say.
“The nurse is bringing me a sandwich, but I’m not really hungry.”
“You should try to eat something to get your energy up. The doctor said you were dehydrated.”
“Not anymore,” she says, holding up her arm with the IV in it. “I feel like a bloated balloon with all this stuff pumping into me.”
“Well, let me know if you need anything,” I tell her. “And if it’s okay with you, I would like to stay here with you tonight.”
“Please,” she says softly. “I don’t want to be alone,” she adds, her voice cracking.
“Of course,” I agree. “When the nurse comes back, I’ll slip out just to go give everyone an update and tell them to go home.”
“Everyone?” she asks.
“Ah, yeah, Paul and his brother, along with that guy, Roman, and the other Savage Kings.”
“Oh.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to see him before he leaves?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I don’t.”
“Okay,” I reply, wishing I knew how to help both of them get through this. Unfortunately, it’s out of my hands.
A few minutes later, when the nurse comes in with a tray of food and starts checking Tessa’s vitals, I tell her I’ll be right back and leave the room, only to nearly run into Paul in the hallway.
“How is she doing? Did she ask for me?” he questions me in a rush while trying to get a peek into her room through the small window on the door.
“She’s going to try and eat a little bit but doesn’t want any visitors tonight,” I tell him. “You should go back to the beach house and get some sleep. It’s been a stressful day.”
“I don’t want to leave her,” he says, reaching up to tug on the top of his brown hair.
“I know you don’t, but there’s no reason for you to hang around here all night. Try to rest and maybe check back tomorrow. She may get to go home; and if so, I bet she’ll feel more like herself.”
“Did she say anything about the wedding?” he asks. “She still wants to marry me, right? Tell her I want to marry her and that we can wait however long she needs…”
“She didn’t mention the wedding,” I lie because I don’t want to tell the poor man she’s calling it off, not yet. Not until tomorrow after she’s had time to think this through after going through such a traumatic event. “I’m going to stay with her tonight, and I promise I’ll call you if anything changes.”
“Okay. Thanks, Charlotte.”
“I’m sorry, Paul.”
“Yeah, I know,” he says taking one last longing look at her closed door before he walks away, shoulders slumped in defeat.
Roman
* * *
I’ve been pacing around the waiting room where the rest of my guys are hanging out, trying to figure out what more I could’ve done to avoid this situation.
There are four women in the hospital getting treated after being held hostage in fucking storage units like animals. One of the girls they found was so malnourished the doctors aren’t sure if she’ll make it. Another, well, she has several broken bones. A third won’t say a word to anyone, so they have no clue what her name is or where she’s from to contact her family. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been to fucking war.
“There you are!” Charlotte says, making my pacing feet stop abruptly.
“I shouldn’t have brought you here,” is the first thing I say to her. I hate that she saw her best friend like that, restrained in the dark storage container. “And if I had known Tessa was missing last night, if we had started looking for her sooner, maybe we could’ve found the van before they brought Tessa…”
My words cut off when Charlotte grabs the sides of my face and pulls my mouth down to hers, kissing me hard on the lips right there in front of a room full of Kings. She keeps it up while a few guys whistle, until our lips part and our tongues briefly meet before pulling away. “Thank you,” she whispers, sounding out of breath from the kiss. “You promised me you would find her, and you did. That’s all that matters right now.”
“I wish I could’ve done more,” I tell her.
“You did plenty,” she says, letting go of my face. “Now, you should go home, all of you. It was so sweet of you to come and wait, but you need to go get some rest.”
“What about you?” I ask her.
“I’m staying,” Charlotte replies. “The nurse is getting me a cot so I can sleep in Tessa’s room. She doesn’t want to be alone, and I don’t want to let her out of my sight again.”
“Then I’m staying too,” I tell her.