The feature she’d managed to upload for live viewing on her social media.
She told me about the threats, and how she’d ignored them at first, only to be shaken to her core when I’d taken that hit before New Years.
“I knew then that he’d do it. He’d do whatever it took to hurt you to get to me, and I just couldn’t let him,” she whispered.
My heart broke all over. “You could have told me.”
“No one would have believed me without proof. Not with Rick being who he is. You know that. I needed proof.” She reached for my hand, stroking me with her thumb. “Can you honestly tell me that you would have let me get it? You would have let me bait and hook him the way I did?”
“Fuck no!” I yanked my hands from hers, raking them over my hair in frustration. “Damn, Teagan. We would have moved to a different country before I let you put yourself in danger like that.”
“You’re on contract,” she scoffed.
“Fuck the NFL. I don’t need it to breathe—I need you.” My hands fell to my sides.
“I wanted to protect you.”
“It almost got you killed! What if I hadn’t answered the phone?” Just thinking about that moment sent a chill down my spine. I’d grabbed a hold of the house phone—an ancient relic that it was—and dialed 911, sending them straight to Teagan’s without hanging up my cell. Then I’d made a fifteen-minute drive in just under six minutes.
“I knew you would.” She smiled. “You always answer. You always show up. You’ve never let me down.” She reached for my hand again, and I let her take it.
“All over a necklace?” I marveled. I could have gone over to his house at any time and gotten it back for her. I would have moved heaven and earth for her.
“Not just a necklace, the necklace. You know what it means to me.”
“I haven’t seen you wear that thing in a decade.” I laughed softly. This whole situation was completely, totally insane.
“I slept with it under my pillow every night until I moved in with Rick, and you can guess what he would have done to it if he’d discovered it. It was the only thing I cared about enough to get back, and the perfect excuse to show the world what a monster he is. Forgive me?” Her breath hitched.
“You don’t owe me anything.” She didn’t. She’d fought her way out of a situation I hadn’t even realized she’d been in. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Roman, you know it was all just a lie to get Rick to back away? Right? I love you. I want to be with you. I couldn’t care less if we adopt or decide not to have kids. You are my family, and you’ll always be enough for me.” A tear streaked down her cheek.
I gently brushed it away and laced the fingers of my other hand with hers.
“You still want me?” I clarified, needing to hear it again.
“I’ll always want you,” she promised, another tear escaping. “Walking away nearly killed me, and the only reason I got through it was because I knew it wouldn’t be permanent. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”
I cupped her cheek gently. “You’re the one in the hospital, apologizing for hurting me?”
“Well…yeah.”
Slowly, I brought my lips to hers and kissed her with all the love in my soul. “I love you. Am I happy that you put yourself in danger? Hell no. You’d kick my ass if I did something like this.”
“True,” she admitted, scrunching her nose.
“But you took control of your life and got him the hell out of it, and I can’t be pissed about that. I’m so damned proud of you.”
She started crying in earnest, and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her against my chest. “I was so scared.” The words were muffled against my shirt.
“I bet you were. Gotta say, that was a damned good hit with the frying pan. Remind me not to ever buy cast iron for our kitchen.” I tucked her under my chin and smiled despite the myriad of emotions beating their way through me, all demanding to be felt first.
She pulled back and looked up at me with watery eyes. “Does that still mean you want me?”
My smile widened. “Baby, you could hit me upside the head with a frying pan, and I’d still want you. I’ll want you until the day I die, and then I’ll sit on the other side, still wanting you.” Eventually, I’d get over the need to scream my throat raw at her for what she’d put herself through, but loving her was way more important than scolding her for a choice that was never mine to make.
“So I can have my ring back?” She sniffled.
I tugged on the chain around my neck, and the ring popped free of my collar. “It’s right here. I might have given up hope—you’re pretty damned convincing, but I was never going to stop fighting to win you back.”
“You never lost me,” she swore as I took it off the chain.
“Promise me you’ll never keep something like that from me again, no matter if you think you’re protecting me or not,” I said, pausing with the ring at the tip of her finger. “I can’t live through that again, Teagan.” The bruises on her throat would fade, but the memories of what I’d heard through the phone as I raced toward her apartment, what I’d seen on that streamed video…those would haunt me for the rest of my life.
“I promise,” she vowed, nodding her head.
“Promise me we’ll never walk out on each other. That no matter what, we’ll talk it out and work it out.” I lifted my eyebrows at her.
“I promise.” Another enthusiastic nod.
“Promise me that when push comes to shove, we’ll protect each other together. Don’t ever forget that I’m yours to protect, but you’re mine, too.” My voice broke at the thought of what could have happened.
At how close we’d come to losing it all.
“We’ll do it together,” she swore.
I sucked in a breath, my heart skipping with the knowledge that this was real. There was no broken heart. No lonely nights. There was just us. “Anything you’d like me to promise?”
She drew her tongue across her lower lip and narrowed her eyes in thought.
I prepared myself for the worst.
“Promise me you’ll never stop doing that thing with your tongue—” she started.
I kissed her hard, careful to mind her injuries.
“Every part of me belongs to you,” I promised and slipped the ring back on her finger where it belonged.
Where it would always stay.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Teagan
“I used to make Roman play this game when we were younger,” I said as my hands trembled around the piece of paper I held.
I looked out on the crowd of people—family and friends dressed in their finest—sitting atop white chairs that were gathered in perfect rows in the gardens. The warm summer sky was clear above us, and the sun kissed my bare back as I stood at the altar across from Roman.
“House,” I continued with my vows. “But I’d always make him marry me first.” I laughed a teary laugh, and Roman smiled down at me, the memory showing in his eyes.