Her lips pulled up in a smile as her eyes closed all the way, and finally, she slept.
Twenty-Five
I glanced down at the six-inch gash on my shoulder after I took the bandage off. There was no redness or signs of infection, so I finished cleaning it and covered it with the special bandage the hospital had sent home with me yesterday. At least I managed to get out of the hospital for my thirtieth birthday.
Last night was not exactly the party I was hoping for, and tonight wouldn’t be either, but that was okay. I was just grateful to be alive. Being attacked by Darla had brought into focus what was important in this life. That red X on my calendar came to mind again, and I chuckled as I shut the light off in the bathroom and walked into the kitchen for my phone. I tapped the calendar, still missing the July page, and tisked my tongue. “You don’t own me anymore.”
It didn’t own me. Brady Pearson owned me, and I was completely okay with it. We owned each other’s hearts and never had I understood how much than over the last couple of days. His devotion to me at the hospital was palpable, and his dedication to my business when he only left my bedside to make sure it stayed running, told me he would always be my better half.
It was almost three in the afternoon, and Brady had been up to check on me several times during the day. He refused to let me go down to the bakery and do anything, so I had to cool my heels up here most of the day. That was okay. My head still bothered me if I did too much, so it was wiser to give it a few more days before I had to work around dangerous equipment again. After so much lazing around, I needed to stretch out my arm, so when Brady called to say he needed me in the bakery for some help with the ordering, I jumped at the chance. It gave me an excuse to check on everything without looking like a worrywart, too. I know Brady and Amber have everything in hand, but it would make it easier to relax if I got to check things out for myself.
I checked my phone, and there was another email from another committee member apologizing for the Darla fiasco, as people had taken to calling it. Truth be told, the fiasco was no one’s fault but hers. I felt bad that others felt like they needed to apologize for her. She could do her own apologizing in court. The district attorney had to decide on charges, but from what I’d been told, she was going to be swimming in hot water for a long time to come.
Once the police took her into custody, after finding her passed out on the floor in her living room, they had to put her in the drunk tank overnight just to get her conscious enough to talk. The knife she stabbed me with was found in her bathtub, which was a very strange place to put a weapon you committed a crime with if you ask me, but that’s Darla.
I suspected she was going to claim a psychotic break or try to blame this on me, but for now, I was safe from her while she remained in jail until bail was set. After that, she wouldn’t be allowed near me, or she’d risk going straight to jail without passing go. Did I doubt she’d try? No, but for her sake, I hoped she kept her distance. Not just because the law wouldn’t be lenient, but because Brady wouldn’t be.
I heard his footfalls on the stairs, and I opened the door, smiling when he stood at the top, his hair freshly washed and styled. He was dressed to the nines in khaki shorts and a button-down shirt.
“Well, hello, birthday girl,” he said, kissing my lips lightly. “You look gorgeous. You’re like a birthday cupcake that’s good enough to eat.”
“You’ve said that every time you’ve checked on me today.”
“And I meant it every time,” he agreed, a smile on his face.
I tugged at the front of his shirt gently. “You’re a little dressed up to do bakery work,” I said, confused.
“True, but the bakery work won’t take long, and then I was hoping to celebrate your birthday. As long as you’re feeling up to it, of course.”
“I would love to,” I assured him, pulling the door closed behind us. “I need to stretch out and move around a little. My arm doesn’t bother me much now, and the incision looked good when I changed the bandage. I’ll just have to be careful of my head. I wish I were able to make your anniversary cupcakes.”
“It’s okay,” he assured me, kissing my lips. “We’ll celebrate my anniversary when you’re feeling up to it. Today, we’re celebrating everything that’s you. Take my arm when we go down, so you don’t fall,” he ordered.
I did as he instructed, letting him help me down the stairs. I would protest, but I knew it would do no good. Besides, he was probably right. Sometimes I still felt dizzy from the concussion, and it wasn’t worth falling again just to be stubborn. Besides, I liked that he wanted to protect me. It made him feel better and gave him a way to put right in his head what happened.
“I owe you my life, Brady,” I blurted out. “I don’t know if I ever said thank you for finding me.”
We stepped onto the ground at the bottom of the stairs, and he paused. “Cupcake, you don’t have to thank me for finding you. I love you, and that’s what you do when you love someone, remember?”
“Right now, when I think something, sometimes it comes out of my mouth before I can stop it,” I explained with embarrassment.
“I know, and I also know I can’t tell you not to think about it because your mind isn’t quite right yet. Once it is, though, I don’t want it to cross your mind again.” He grasped my face and held me to his nose. “I love you so much. I’m beyond thankful we’re here to celebrate this day together.”
“I love you, too,” I promised, kissing his lips to relax him. “You’re really keyed up. I’m sorry for mentioning it.”
He smiled and winked, his shoulders relaxing a little bit. “It’s not your fault. I get that way when I think about losing you. I relive those seconds when I found you on the ground and my heart pounds to think about what would have happened if I hadn’t come in early to talk to you. It will always scare me, and I’ve decided that’s a good thing. The memory will always be there as a reminder that things can’t go unsaid when you love someone.” He shook out his shoulders and cleared his throat. “Okay, let’s forget about it and go say hello to your bestie before we celebrate the big three-oh.”
He opened the side bakery door, and I stepped in, the warmth of the space wrapping me in a hug like it always did. I inhaled deeply and sighed. “God, I love this place.” I heard his chuckle behind me, and I knew he understood. “Did you get everything put together for tomorrow’s orders?” I reached for the cooler handle and walked in to inspect everything. Brady stood behind me and pointed out all the cupcake orders and birthday cakes he’d decorated today.
I turned into his chest. “They’re beautiful. You don’t even need me around here anymore.”
“Don’t even think about leaving me with all these cakes,” he teased, tweaking my nose. “I don’t like decorating. That’s your strength.”
“And these beautiful white and rye bread braids are yours. They’re gorgeous.”
“So are you,” he said, backing me up against a rack and planting a kiss on me that was reminiscent of the first one we shared here a month ago. This time, it was a little bit more reserved, and he was content to be gentle while still filling me with passion and desire.